


warm blood (feels good)

by saturatedsinset



Category: All Elite Wrestling, Professional Wrestling, 新日本プロレス | New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Genre: Aftercare, Anxiety, Begging, CW: mild alcoholism, Canon Compliant, Choking, Exhibitionism, Kink Negotiation, Light D/s, M/M, Marking, Multi, Overstimulation, Praise Kink, Slight canon deviation, Voyeurism, hangman has some internalised worries about kink so if that isnt for you just be aware, set in November-December of 2019, this contains imo some of the funniest lines ive ever written. hope u enjoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:54:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28433484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saturatedsinset/pseuds/saturatedsinset
Summary: Kenny Omega telling you that you have weird sexual hangups is, Adam realises, a real low point in life. He's speechless again just trying to process that the guy whose fucked-up sex life he knows a truly unnerving amount about—not just the Mox thing, but Kenny's storied sexual history—thinkshe'sweird about sex.(hangman is very anxious and has a kink awakening. mox and kenny help out.)
Relationships: Dean Ambrose | Jon Moxley/"Hangman" Adam Page, Dean Ambrose | Jon Moxley/Kenny Omega, Dean Ambrose | Jon Moxley/Kenny Omega/"Hangman" Adam Page, Kenny Omega/"Hangman" Adam Page
Comments: 19
Kudos: 49





	warm blood (feels good)

**Author's Note:**

> so i started writing this in like, late november/early december last year and then stopped for Twelve Full Months. this is set in the weeks around full gear 2019, without any specific dynamite cards or dates mentioned. it's loose canon, go with it
> 
> all my fics take place in the same general continuity and this is set a little bit after [with a velvet tongue](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21423316), but this isn't really a sequel. they just take place in the same general timeline. you don't need to read anything else to understand this one
> 
> thanks to enj & safe for editing this for me and also for kicking my ass into finishing it at all, as always feel free to talk to me on tumblr at saturatedsinset
> 
> title from "Warm Blood" by Carly Rae Jepsen

Adam had been looking for the Bucks when he'd taken a wrong turn somewhere backstage, about ten minutes ago. Now, he thinks, he's probably never going to escape this maze of an arena as he walks past—another? the same?—set of folded bleachers. At this point, he's just looking for a member of staff, crew, security, anyone who can tell him how to get back to civilization.

There's another bank of folding chairs, and then a corner. Adam figures it's as good as any, so he turns, and—

And Mox and Kenny are there, Mox crowding Kenny against the wall, pinning Kenny's wrists above his head, his free hand pushing Kenny's hip back like he's trying to tap him out. Kenny's body is doing that weird angular thing it does when he's trying to find his way out of a submission, all sharp corners and tension, his fingers spread wide, and that's as much as Adam needs to see before he grabs Mox by the shoulders and shoves him away from Kenny.

"What the hell, man?" he demands, pushing Mox again. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Kenny sag against the wall, his hands falling to his sides. It's enough for Adam to be happy that he's safe, so he returns his focus to Mox, who's... laughing? Of course he is, Adam thinks, he's probably planning some weird revenge on them both now.

"I thought y'all were fighting enough in the ring," Adam huffs, "you wouldn't need to out here."

Mox shakes his head, still grinning. "We weren't fighting."

"You were doing a submission!"

Now it's Kenny who laughs, quiet and a little breathless. When Adam turns to look at him, he's still out of it, still leaning against the wall, his pupils blown out. "You could say that," he mumbles, his head rolling back against the wall like it's out of his control.

Adam's starting to think he might be missing something here. He narrows his eyes.

"This better not be a weird sex thing," he says darkly, glaring between Kenny and Mox, who shrugs.

"It's not that weird," he starts, but that's not a conversation Adam wants to have right now.

"Whatever," he mutters, waving a hand at them and walking away. He gets back around the corner before he remembers that he's lost.

He turns back around the corner again, where Kenny and Mox are already back at it. "Um. Which way to the dressing rooms?"

They point, almost in unison, without looking at him.

*

It's a few hours later. Adam had found the Bucks after Kenny and Mox had pointed the way, and he's been hanging with them since. They're mostly just shooting the shit, but something's been bothering Adam since he saw Kenny and Mox.

Matt's mid-sentence, fantasy-booking some new spot that he seems excited about when Adam interrupts him. "Hey, so—" he sees the hurt on Matt's face and recalculates. "Sorry. Anyway. Kenny's dating Ibushi, right? Like they have a weird distance thing?"

Nick waves a hand. "Kind of? It's Kenny, man, it's weird. He says they're broken up."

"But they're always talking," Matt adds. "And saying I love you and shit. And Kota always texts us to check on him. But they're basically together, yeah."

"So, like." Adam frowns. "Why's Kenny fucking Moxley?"

He is not prepared for the response he gets. He's expecting shock, maybe, or outrage, or possibly outraged shock. Righteous anger on Ibushi's behalf. Something like that, anyway.

What actually happens is that, at the same time, Nick groans and Matt says, exasperated, "Mox _too_?"

Adam blinks. "...Too?"

"Jesus." Nick rubs a hand over his face, completely ignores Adam's question. "Add him to the list, I guess."

" _List?_ " Adam squeaks.

Nick finally tunes back in to Radio Hangman and glances at him, his expression almost pitiful. "Yeah, there's like, a list of all the people that Kenny fucks around with while Kota's not here? Like I said, it's weird."

Adam's lost for words. He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it again, is silent for a moment. Eventually, he manages to ask, "Does... does Kota know about this. List?" He sounds half-hysterical even to himself, but he doesn't know how to stop. This is fucking insane.

Matt snorts. "Kota's in charge of the list."

"Uh—"

"He like, sends out instructions and stuff," Nick explains. "And threatens them if they fuck Kenny up. We check up every so often." He shrugs, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Pretty normal stuff.”

"Normal?!" Adam explodes, but now the Bucks are laughing, at least. Matt changes the subject after that, so apparently that's all the context Adam gets, and. He knew Kenny was weird, but this doesn't feel like a normal Kenny level of weird.

The Bucks clearly don't want to talk about who else their best friend is fucking, though, so he leaves it at that.

*

It's a few days later, on a Tuesday. Adam's been thinking about it—he's hardly been thinking about anything else—and he thinks he has a pretty solid plan to figure out what the fuck is going on with this whole list thing. He corners Mox in the hotel hallway after definitely not following him to his floor.

"What the fuck is going on with Kenny?" he demands, folding his arms over his chest.

Look, solid plans aren't always subtle.

Mox groans. "You again? Jesus, Page, what's your deal?"

" _My_ deal?" Adam scoffs. "What's my deal? Coming from the guy fucking my friend even though he has a boyfriend? My deal? The fuck is your deal, man?"

Mox checks his phone, which is maybe the weirdest part of this whole thing so far, with the notable exception of what he says next.

"I'm not fucking him today," he shrugs. "I do Mondays."

Adam Page has never been more certain that the world around him is going insane.

"You. Do Mondays," he repeats, his voice trembling. What the fuck. What the fuck. "What the fuck."

Mox rolls his eyes. "Look, I get that you're vanilla or whatever, but that doesn't mean everyone has the same weird hangups you do about sex? Especially not Kenny and Kota. So. Either deal with it or freak out in private like everyone else." He shoulders past Adam and starts to walk away, then pauses. "And quit following me around. I know you're not on this floor."

Adam doesn't even have time to justify himself before Mox is gone.

*

That night, Adam's laying in bed in his hotel room, still thinking about it all. He's not sure when this became his whole week, but—

Cody knows about weird sex stuff, probably. He had that whole thing with Kenny and Ibushi last year, if nothing else. So, Adam reasons, he's probably the best person to ask. Cody's easier to talk to, and. If he doesn't know about the sex stuff, he'll probably be nicer about Adam not knowing what the fuck is going on. And he won’t air Adam’s sex-ignorant laundry to the locker room. Probably. He's already staring at his phone anyway.

00:18 / Hangman  
hey. do I have weird sexual hangups

00:24 / Cody  
yeah, kind of

00:26 / Hangman  
damn  
00:26 / Hangman  
one more thing

00:30 / Cody  
shoot

00:31 / Hangman  
what does vanilla mean

00:40 / Hangman  
cody

1:03 / Hangman  
cody???

*

Cooling down from the show this week, Adam still can’t stop thinking about it. He's not sure he has weird sexual hangups. Sure, he's not getting down and dirty as often as Kenny apparently is, but when he does fuck it's good. His partners are generally satisfied, and he has a good time, and he gets enough repeat offers that he's pretty confident in his skill.

It's not that he thinks Kenny and Mox shouldn't be doing whatever it is they're doing, as long as Ibushi knows and everyone's cool with it, it's just. He kind of had it sprung on him, didn't he? Adam thinks it's reasonable that he was a little taken aback seeing his friend pinned against a wall, in a way that really did look painful, by someone he's mid-feud with. That kind of thing should be saved for rehearsal and the ring.

Except that, apparently, it's a weird sex thing. Or a not-weird sex thing, and Adam's the one being weird about it, which seems to be what the entire world is telling him, and. Adam can accept that he's weird about some things, but this feels pretty earned to him. If it's become not-weird to have a list of people you fuck when your partner isn't there, Adam's not really sure how to deal with that.

But. He sees the way Kenny's eyes go wide when Mox brings out the weapons during their tag, and he sees his disappointment when Pac tosses them aside, and he sees Mox make brief eye contact with Kenny before he storms off. Adam's not stupid, he can put two and two together, and between this and the arena halls last week, he can see that whatever this is, it's not confined to the bedroom or the ring.

He isn't able to get Kenny alone until a few days later, but by now the whole thing has been churning around his head long enough that he has to get an explanation from someone. Luckily for Adam (he guesses), when he walks into Kenny's dressing room without knocking he doesn't find him in a compromising position with Mox. Or whoever else is on the list. Kenny does jump when Adam walks in, though, which he feels a little guilty about.

"Sorry," he says, before Kenny has the chance to greet him. "Are you free for a minute? Can we talk?"

"Uh," Kenny says, looking genuinely confused, but he gestures to a chair anyway, because Kenny's a good guy when he's not being fucking weird. "Sure? Are you good, man?"

Adam sits and rubs a hand over his face. "I'm just. Confused, I guess?"

"About. Me?"

Adam blinks, dumbfounded for a moment. Even Mox had understood why he was confused, even if he was rude about it. Kenny just looks lost.

"...Mox?" Adam manages after a while, his voice a little strangled by incredulity. "You have. Sex thing with Mox." He has to stop himself from saying "weird," because he's really over rehashing that particular argument.

"Oh!" Kenny shrugs and sits opposite Adam. "Yeah, I mean, it's all, like, consensual. But I guess you have some hangups? So. I don't know, Page, it's all good."

Kenny Omega telling you that you have weird sexual hangups is, Adam realises, a real low point in life. He's speechless again just trying to process that the guy whose fucked-up sex life he knows a truly unnerving amount about—not just the Mox thing, but Kenny's storied sexual history—thinks _he'_ s weird about sex. Adam can't even start to process the indignation he feels, because:

"Why does everyone keep saying I have weird sex shit?" he demands, his tone edging on hysterical for the thousandth time.

"Because you've been freaking out about a sex thing unrelated to you for like a week?" Kenny offers, and Adam hates how smug he is all of a sudden but he's not. Exactly wrong.

Still, though. "Because it's a weird sex thing! I mean, who has backup hookups for when their partner isn't around?"

"Brandi," Kenny says immediately, counting on his fingers. "Cody. Janela. Me, I guess. It's not that weird."

Of course Brandi and Cody do—Adam knew Cody had a background in Weird Sex Shit. And Janela makes sense too. And—now that there's a few people, Adam can maybe accept that Kenny having other people to fuck makes sense. Like, it's still weird, but. Kenny's weird. The whole thing is weird.

"I..." Adam starts, then stops. That's not the only weird part of this thing. He just wants some answers, okay? He's confused. Maybe Kenny will actually help. "Okay. I guess. But..."

Kenny raises his eyebrows. "But?"

"But. Like." Adam doesn't know how to put this without sounding overprotective, he realises, but he can't not ask. "He was, like. Hurting you."

"I mean," Kenny laughs softly, shaking his head, bending a paperclip apart idly, "like... yeah. I asked him to. And we do it safely and everything." There's a moment where Kenny just studies Adam's face as Adam gets more confused. "Oh my god, Page, this can't be new to you."

Adam frowns, defensive suddenly. "It's not!" he argues. "It's like. Fifty shades of grey. Like spanking and stuff, right?" Adam knows about weird sex stuff, he swears.

"Oh, Hangman, you don’t do kinky shit?"

"Not weird shit!"

Kenny fucking doubles over laughing, because he's a terrible friend sometimes. "Fuck," he manages, and fuck him, his eyes are actually welling up because he's a terrible fucking friend. "You're serious! You're serious?"

"Yes!"

"Holy shit. Adam. Oh my god." Kenny wipes his eyes, finally manages to stop cackling. "Okay. Fuck. Um. I like when Mox hurts me. In safe and contained situations. Right?"

"Okay," Adam says slowly, because, yeah, he understands that Kenny likes it. He just can't wrap his head around _why_.

"Like," Kenny looks like he's searching for words. "I mean I get off on it."

"Right." Adam nods. He has eyes.

After a moment, he swallows. "It's. Better? For you? When you get hurt?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

Kenny starts to explain. Adam listens, asking a question every so often. Kenny talks about the security of being unable to escape, the serenity of giving up the responsibility of decision-making for a time, the intensity of pleasure when it's mixed with pain.

By the time he's finished talking, Adam has a lot to think about.

"Um. One more thing," he says, after a minute.

"Jesus, Page, come on," Kenny groans, and like, Adam gets it, but Kenny could be nicer.

"What does vanilla mean?"

*

In his hotel room that night, Adam's thinking about what Kenny said. He's not sure he gets it, not really, but there's something interesting in the fondness with which Kenny talks about being powerless that Adam figures is worth at least considering. And he really is thinking about it, trying to put himself in Kenny's place, trapped against the wall how he saw him that first time, but.

But really, he doesn't get the appeal of being pushed against a wall, trapped skin-on-skin with someone who has all the power over exactly how they move you, what they'll allow you to do, and even though you could get out of their hold you don't, you let them do what they want, and they push and push until you're begging for something, anything, and—

Oh, no.

Adam thinks he might get it now.

*

Mox is probably actively avoiding him, Adam realises, because even the loners on the roster aren't usually this hard to find. It's understandable, given that Adam did stalk him a bit a little while ago, but Adam's still a little offended. Adam's a nice guy, Mox is probably just. Short on patience.

Eventually, Adam manages to find him by catering. When he sees Adam approaching him, he sighs, like he was expecting this but hoping Adam wouldn't get here. It rankles a little, but Adam's giving him the benefit of the doubt. 

"What do you want, Page?" He's eating some carrots. Adam's not sure how to start this conversation.

"Um," he says. "So. I talked to Kenny."

"Christ," Mox mumbles. "Are you satisfied now? Everything's all above board? You're gonna stop following me around?"

"Um—"

"Oh, god."

Adam swallows. "I. Just. It's. I can't stop thinking about it? I don't know even, like, where to start."

Mox rubs a hand over his face. "Fuckin' hell, man, that's." He shakes his head and eats another carrot. "Props for having an open mind, I guess. Fuck. Okay."

"...Okay?"

"Yeah. Okay. Um. Let me make some phone calls, okay? Give me like, two days."

"To... what?"

"Figure out what we're gonna do. About this whole," Mox gestures at Adam with a half-eaten carrot, "Thing. Don't worry."

Adam is very worried, but Mox is already walking away, so he figures all he can do is wait.

*

He's not really sure what to expect—nothing at all, or an ambush from Mox when he isn't expecting it, or a phone call out of nowhere. Surprisingly, though, there's no fanfare when it does happen, just his phone buzzing a couple times.

14:23 / Mox  
hey. come to my room around 9

14:26 / Hangman  
for what??

14:32 / Mox   
you cant be this dumb

14:35 / Mox  
its up to you. but Kenny says you've been really preoccupied with this whole thing and I think this will help

14:38 / Hangman  
help?

14:42 / Mox  
you want to get some closure with the kink stuff right? thats what this is for  
14:43 / Mox  
just tell me if you're gonna come 

14:51 / Hangman  
yeah okay  
14:53 / Hangman  
I'll be there

*

Around nine gives Adam enough time to get showered and get ready, although he's not sure how you should get ready to get closure for your friends (and maybe you) being into weird sex stuff. He doesn't even know if Mox will ask him to do anything, or if Mox will punch him out, or if it's the beginning of a whole new weird thing. After a few tries, he settles on not doing anything special, mostly because it makes it even weirder to feel like he's meant to expect something.

He knocks on Mox's door just before nine—being early seems more acceptable than late—and after a few seconds Mox opens it, looking surprised and a little impressed.

"Thought you might talk yourself out of it," he says, waving Adam inside. 

"I almost did," Adam admits, and then stops short, because Kenny is kneeling on the floor by the foot of the bed, shirtless. "Um. Why's...?" he trails off, realising that he doesn't even know who to address the question to. This feels like part of the whole thing.

"Because I told him to." Mox comes back to stand behind Adam. In the momentary quiet, Kenny seems to realise they're both just looking at him, and he goes a little pink before raising a hand to wave awkwardly.

"Hey, Hangman," he says, his voice oddly soft. Adam waves back, still confused, but Kenny looks happy and—and at peace, kind of, and Adam can't pretend he's not a little jealous of that. 

Mox puts a gentle hand on Adam's arm, guiding him away from Kenny and to the armchairs opposite the bed (which is a weird quirk of hotel room design that he's never quite understood), and gestures for Adam to sit down. Adam glances between Kenny and Mox as he sits, a little confused. Before he can ask the question, Mox answers.

"He doesn't feel up to doing the boundaries talk, so. He's gonna sit quietly while we do." Mox looks over at Kenny. "Unless you have hard limits, or you change your mind. Okay?"

Kenny nods, almost meek. It's sweet, Adam thinks, this whole thing so far, the way Mox is working to make Kenny comfortable, guiding all three of them. And he remembers what Kenny said, that he likes to be pulled under normal consciousness, that he can go into a place where all he needs is to be ordered and to obey. Adam thinks, looking at Kenny kneeling calmly on the floor and letting two of his friends talk about him like he's not there, that he can almost see it. 

Mox seems satisfied with Kenny's response as he turns back to Adam. "So," he starts, his tone more gentle, "Kenny and I think this will help you figure out what your deal is with kink. And Kota said Kenny's always been interested in exhibitionism."

Adam can put together, from context clues, what that is. “Makes sense,” he nods.

For the first time, Mox grins. "That's what I said." He pauses for a moment before he continues, "So you're gonna watch us, if you want."

The offer is, given everything in the room, what Adam expected, but. Hearing it laid out so casually still comes as a shock. He blinks, swallows, glances back at Kenny, still kneeling but considerably more flushed.

"Um," Adam starts, eloquently. Now that Mox has said the words, he wants to, so badly, but accepting the offer feels like a point of no return. 

"You can leave if you want," Mox shrugs in the awkward silence. Adam almost appreciates his studied nonchalance, the way he put the offer on the table, not with hope Adam would accept, but in a way that lets Adam choose without disappointing anyone.

"No," Adam says, too quickly, but he can't help it. He doesn't want to leave. And, this time, maybe crossing the point of no return isn't such a bad thing. The room doesn’t feel like a trap, just an invitation. "I, um. Want to watch."

Mox nods, almost approving, and the gesture feels like a victory. "Alright. You're gonna stay sitting here, okay? You can jack off if you want, but don't touch either of us. Especially him."

"Okay." Adam doesn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved. He doesn't want to fuck either of them, particularly—sure, they make a pretty picture together, and they’re both attractive, but neither is really Adam’s type—and he's still not sure how this whole thing works, so he's hardly surprised Mox doesn't want him throwing them off, but. It feels a little weird to be here and not participate. 

"If you decide it's not for you or you get uncomfortable, you can leave. No hard feelings." Mox meets his eyes, now, a fierce intensity in his gaze that wasn't there before. "And if he or I get uncomfortable, I'll tell you and then you need to leave. Right away. No questions. Okay?"

"I—yeah, of course. Sure." Kenny hadn't said it when they talked, not specifically, but Adam understands that doing this kind of thing makes Kenny more vulnerable than he usually is. Of course Adam doesn't want to hurt his friend.

Mox must hear his sincerity, because he stops looking quite so intense, relaxes a bit. "Good. Is there anything specific you think you'd be uncomfortable with?"

"Um." Something is expected of him here, surely, but Adam isn't even sure he knows enough about this whole thing to know what makes him uncomfortable. "I don't think so?"

"Alright. Just remember, yeah? You can always leave."

Adam didn't expect this kind of consideration from Mox, but he's grateful for it, happy to let Mox take the lead for him and Kenny both. "Sure. Yeah."

With another quick nod, Mox stands, turns his attention back to Kenny, who swallows as Mox approaches, now apparently unconcerned with Adam.

"Get up," Mox says, the gentleness in his tone gone, replaced by a different kind of confidence, like he knows he doesn't have to push. Adam's not surprised when he's right, when Kenny just stands, his eyes still fixed on Mox, who nods, approving, and then nudges Kenny's shoulder. "Face Hangman. Look at him."

Kenny shuffles his feet a little before he does as he's told this time, like he's shy, and it's almost cute that this is the thing he's bashful about. It's not like Adam hasn't seen Kenny naked before—he's not even naked now—or like Kenny hasn't walked in on Adam. Adam kind of gets it, though, because he feels a little shy too, doesn't really know what it means that he's the one who gets to watch them. 

Mox circles Kenny slowly until he's standing behind him. Kenny turns his head to watch for a moment, but Mox makes a disapproving sound, and that's all it takes for Kenny to turn his attention back to Adam. Mox meets Adam's eyes for a moment, as if he's checking that Adam's still watching—which is insane, he couldn't look away by now if he tried—before he bites at Kenny's neck, sucks a slow, deliberate bruise there.

It's like Kenny can't keep up with everything, because he lets out a quiet, broken whimper and turns his face away, shakes his hair into his eyes. Mox pulls back a little, snaking his hand into Kenny's hair and pulling sharply, forcing him to look up again. 

"Look at Hangman," Mox repeats, and Kenny whines again, tries to turn away, but Mox won't let him. "Let him see how much you like it, Kenny."

Kenny takes a shaky breath, swallowing, and the similarity to how he reacts when he's hurt in the ring would worry Adam if Kenny weren't unmistakably hard, which is a new thing for Adam to notice about his friend, but he's rolling with it. (Adam thinks, briefly, that given this whole Mox thing, he probably likes getting hurt in the ring, too.) After a moment, Kenny finally meets Adam's eyes again, he looks halfway wrecked already, and God knows what Mox is going to do with him next.

Mox is pressing little kisses up along the side of Kenny's neck, his hands sliding slowly down Kenny’s chest, and Kenny looks absolutely lost in it. His eyes are still on Adam's but Adam isn't sure he's seeing anything, his pupils are so blown out. Mox nips at Kenny's ear and Kenny just whines, stares straight at Adam and bites his lip so hard it goes white. Kenny's sunk into this so completely, standing and letting Mox play with him—with a jolt, Adam realises that's what Mox is doing, playing with him for Adam to see—and Kenny's whimpering and letting Mox show him off like he was made for it. That thought combined with the view is more than enough for Adam to realise he's rock hard, has to shift a little in his seat.

The wicked grin on Mox's face tells Adam that he noticed, and Adam's not sure why that comes as a surprise to him but it does. He hadn't thought about this part, the fact that they can see him too. 

"You see what you're doing to him, love?" Mox murmurs, his mouth still against Kenny's skin, conspiratorial but loud enough for Adam to hear, and suddenly Adam's glad Kenny can see him, because he looks so proud. "I wonder what else he wants to see."

It doesn't seem like Mox is asking Adam, but Adam's not sure what use he'd be answering anyway, has no idea what he wants to see. Mox doesn't look like he minds, content to nip at Kenny’s shoulder, make him take a shaky breath.

" _Please_ ," Kenny whispers, almost too quietly for Adam to hear him. Adam's not sure what he's asking for, but it looks like Kenny might not know, either, because he just _keens_ when Mox trails his fingers up his side to pinch his nipple.

"He needs to hear you," Mox says, his gravelly voice almost smooth as he twists Kenny's nipple, making his knees go so weak Adam sees him stumble a little. "You want him to watch, Kenny. He has to know what you want."

"You," Kenny mumbles, turning his face away from Adam again to look through his lashes at Mox like he wants more but he doesn't want to say it out loud. It's not something Adam ever expected to find hot, but he can't help but squirm in his seat again, palming himself for a moment. 

Mox tuts, gripping Kenny's jaw and turning his face back toward Adam, who doesn't know why he's surprised after Mox was so clear about what he wanted from Kenny but finds himself nodding along anyway, swallowing hard. 

"You're not begging me," Mox says, slowly, like it's obvious, and Kenny makes another little broken sound. "You're telling Hangman what you want. Help him understand."

Adam doesn't need any more help understanding, but he's not going to say that when Kenny's staring at him like he's the only steady thing on earth. "I want," Kenny starts, then cuts himself off with a sharp gasp as Mox brushes his thumb over his nipple again, slides his fingers under the waistband of Kenny's sweats. "Fuck. I want Mox—" he closes his eyes, like he can't face Adam and say it out loud— "to fuck me. In front of. You."

"Good," Mox murmurs, and Adam's almost glad Kenny keeps his eyes closed because he has to pull his jeans down, relieve some of the pressure. He reminds himself that Mox said this was okay, that Kenny wanted this, and then he has to stop thinking again because Mox is pushing Kenny onto the bed roughly enough that he stumbles a little. Adam can't help it now that he's admitted to himself that he really wants to watch this, has to finally, finally wrap a hand around his cock. The momentary relief makes him let out a little sigh at the same time Kenny does, now on his hands and knees on the bed and starting to take notice of Adam again.

Kenny looks back at Mox and nods at Adam. "He's..." he starts, and then trails off because what he's pointing out is obvious. Mox nods, strokes Kenny's hair for a moment.

"We said he could, remember?" Mox says gently, looking Adam over with a faint smile, like he's impressed, which makes Adam feel so much that he doesn't know what to do with it. Instead of thinking about it, he brushes his thumb over the head of his cock, feeling himself flush deep red with both Kenny and Mox's eyes on him. "Do you want him to stop?"

Even spaced out like this, Kenny seems able to separate the genuineness of this question from Mox's previous rhetorical teasing. He shakes his head. "I like it," Kenny mumbles. "Means I'm doing good."

"You are," Mox says immediately, focused only on Kenny for a moment. "You're doing so good, love. You wanna keep going?"

And just like that, Kenny's spacey again, just whispers, " _Please_ ," like it's the only word he knows.

Mox nods and runs a gentle hand down Kenny's back, sitting behind him on the bed. The reality of this whole thing hasn't really occurred to Adam before, and his breath hitches as Mox picks up a bottle of lube, because fuck, he's going to watch this guy fuck his friend and they're all going to get off on it. Mox pours lube on his fingers, and Adam’s transfixed by the whole scene—Kenny shaking his hair into his eyes even as he looks through his eyelashes at Adam, shy and bold at once, and Mox sat behind him, all easy control. 

With his free hand, Mox tugs at Kenny’s sweats. “Get these off, babe,” he says, and even before he’s stopped talking Kenny is doing as he says, fumbling and awkward because he’s trying to stay stable on his hands and knees while he does. Mox glances up, catches Adam’s eye, looks deliberately down at Adam’s cock and back up to his face. “Like what you see, Page?”

Adam’s a little thrown by the question even as he shudders under Mox’s gaze. “I—” He swallows hard, nods. “Yeah. Fuck.”

When he hears Adam’s voice, Kenny’s head snaps back up to look at him again, eyes wide, and Adam’s so transfixed by it that he doesn’t see Mox set the lube aside. When he presses a finger into Kenny, though, Kenny whimpers, loud and broken, and Adam doesn’t know how Kenny’s going to last long enough for Mox to actually fuck him. That thought makes him realise just how much he _really_ wants to see it, has to bite back a whimper of his own. It’s all so— weird, so much, and all Adam wants is more.

“Hear that?” Mox asks, his head cocked toward Kenny now, one broad hand splayed across his back. Kenny tries to push back against Mox’s fingers, but Mox digs his nails into his back and Kenny stills again. He’s so _good_ , Adam thinks. “Hangman likes the show.” Mox does something with his fingers that makes Kenny drop to his elbows, groaning. “Think you can do better than that, though.”

Mox leans forward, does something Adam can’t quite see with his fingers that draws a high, desperate noise from Kenny as he grabs Kenny’s hair again with his other hand, pulls his head up again. “I told you to look at him, Kenny,” he says, and the disappointment in his tone makes Kenny and Adam wince almost in unison.

“Sorry,” Kenny mumbles, the flush spreading down to his shoulders, staring at Adam hard enough to bore a hole through him. “I— sorry.”

Mox shakes his head, but he lets go of Kenny’s hair, drags his nails down his back instead, and Adam can see the angry red lines on Kenny’s skin. Adam has to squeeze the base of his cock to temper the rush of arousal even through his instinct to make sure Kenny’s okay—but Kenny’s clearly okay, because his hands are twisted in the sheets like it’s the only way he can keep himself from trying to take more than Mox wants to give him, and. Adam doesn’t know when he learned to decode that.

“When you look away, I stop,” Mox says, steady and assured. “Do you understand?”

“Y-yes,” Kenny breathes, and it sounds less like assent and more like a whimper.

Clearly Mox thinks so too, because he strokes down Kenny’s back again, a little gentler. “Tell me,” he says, and Adam thinks it means both _tell me what I said_ and _tell me if it’s too much_. Mox is only unkind, it seems, in the ways Kenny wants him to be.

Kenny breathes out for a long moment before he speaks again, his voice steadier, eyes still locked on Adam’s but less wild. “If I look away from Hangman, you stop.”

“Good boy,” Mox murmurs, and Adam sees the relief on Kenny’s face, first from the words and then, even more, as Mox starts moving again.

“Thank you,” Kenny mumbles, then glances down at Adam’s hand, stilled on his cock. “‘s it bad?” he asks, a troubled line forming on his brow, all earnestness and vulnerability.

Adam glances at Mox before he speaks, still isn’t quite sure what will take Kenny out of it, and as good as this is, he doesn’t want to ruin it. When he gets a small nod from Mox, he says, “No, no, babe, just. Uh. Don’t want to come too soon.” It’s half true, and Adam doesn’t want to throw Kenny off with the other half, which is _Mox stopped, so I did too._

Kenny grins at that, almost back to his normal confidence, until Mox pulls his fingers out and Kenny just whimpers, his whole face falling. “Need…” he whines, but Mox is still there, brushing his thumb over the base of Kenny’s spine.

“Got you,” Mox says gently, grabbing a condom from the bedside drawer and rolling it onto himself with a quick, practiced hand. “Gonna fuck you, yeah?”

“ _Please_ ,” Kenny whimpers again, shakes his hair into his eyes but doesn’t stop staring at Adam, follows the movement of Adam’s hand as he strokes his cock again, and Kenny must be too far gone because he licks his fucking lips.

“Shit,” Adam mumbles, trying not to think about the images that conjures (Kenny on his knees in front of him, Kenny with Adam’s come on his face—) and instead focus on this, in front of him. Mox pushes into Kenny, a hand on his hip to steady him, and Kenny’s eyes slip closed as Mox bottoms out and they both let out little breathy whimpers.

“Fuck.” Mox groans, looks back up at Adam. “He feels so fucking good,” he says, squeezing Kenny’s hip. “You should— fuck, you should. Try sometime. He’s always gagging for it.” 

“Shit,” Adam breathes, again, Kenny’s loud whine almost drowning him out, and while he’s never particularly wanted to fuck Kenny, right now he’d give anything to take him apart the way Mox is. Kenny reaches back, fumbling, and Adam can see the instinct to look toward Mox just as clearly as he can see Kenny override that instinct as he awkwardly finds Mox’s hand and squeezes.

“Good boy,” Mox murmurs, so clearly it meant something, and Mox starts to move, slow, shallow thrusts that nevertheless seem to send electric shocks through Kenny. His mouth is hanging open, now, little quiet sounds escaping every time Mox’s hips cant forward, and Adam finds his own hips moving in the same rhythm as Mox’s.

“Please,” Kenny whispers, twisting his hand in the sheets, and Adam can see the effort it’s taking for him not to push back against Mox. “Harder, please, Mox.”

Mox grunts, and it must be something like confirmation, because he starts snapping his hips faster, and Adam doesn’t know how Kenny hasn’t even asked to be touched yet, because Adam can’t stroke himself fast enough. Kenny doesn’t seem to care about his own cock, though, lost in what Mox is giving him, and Adam can’t imagine how much more intense it is to have another pair of eyes on him. Mox looks up at Adam again, not even faltering in his rhythm, and that confidence sends sparks along Adam’s spine, makes him want to be under Mox, too.

“You close?” Mox asks, no longer steady but more coherent than Adam feels, and Adam can’t do anything but nod wordlessly as Mox pulls Kenny’s hips back against him, finally lets Kenny fuck himself on Mox’s cock. Kenny’s so eager, uses all the leverage he can get, sweat beading on his skin, and Adam doesn’t know how he got lucky enough to watch this but these images are burned into his mind forever. Mox reaches down, wraps a hand around Kenny’s cock, and Kenny just _breaks_ , makes a sound caught between a moan and a sob, and Adam would be worried if Kenny weren’t still as lost in it as ever.

“You two are gonna come together. Okay?” Mox’s voice is getting more breathless, and Adam can only nod, open-mouthed and so, so close he can’t stand it. Kenny manages a breathy “yes” before Mox scratches down his back again, draws this sound of pure, anguished ecstasy from Kenny, and somehow that’s what does it for Adam. He comes over his hand, eyes locked on Kenny’s, both their mouths open as he watches Kenny follow him over the edge, almost boneless even as he keeps himself propped up for Mox.

“Good boy,” Mox says, breathless, almost reverent, then glances at Adam and amends, “Good _boys_.” Adam flushes at that, embarrassed at how proud he is to have been good. He watches as Mox chases his own orgasm, hips stuttering as he holds Kenny in place through the last aftershocks.

“Fuck,” Adam mumbles, trying to catch his breath. He can see Kenny’s chest heaving, too, even as Mox pulls out carefully, ties the condom off and throws it away and helps Kenny lie down. It’s like Mox has transformed again, from assured and firm to pure gentleness. He whispers something to Kenny that Adam doesn’t quite catch, and all of a sudden the awkwardness that Adam had forgotten about comes rushing back. He swallows, squirming a little, unsure what to do now that he’s sitting in his friend’s hotel room with his pants half-down and come drying on his hand.

“Um,” he says, a little louder, and Mox looks over at him. “Should I…?” He gestures toward the door. Mox rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling a bit, affectionate rather than confrontational.

“Can you get us some flannels?” Mox asks, sitting on the bed and holding Kenny’s hand. It’s almost adorable. “He shouldn’t be left alone for a bit.”

Adam nods, awkwardly tucking himself back into his boxers and pulling his jeans up before he goes to the bathroom. He takes his time, washing his hands, trying to think through everything that just happened, and if this is what Kenny meant by losing control, Adam can see why he likes it so much. As he waits for the water to run warm, he wonders what it means that he wanted to be Kenny _and_ Mox, wanted to take Kenny apart but be taken apart in turn. Processing it all seems too difficult, right now, so he just wets the flannels and goes back into the bedroom. 

Kenny looks up at him as he comes in, a little fond smile on his face. He’s still naked, Adam notices, but the tension in his body is all gone. “Hi, Hangman,” he murmurs, and Adam can’t help but smile back.

“Hey, Kenny,” Adam says, matching the softness of Kenny’s voice. “Mox said you wanna get clean?” He holds the flannels out to Kenny, but it’s Mox who takes them, nods at him with the same warmth in his gaze and carefully cleans Kenny up.

“Thanks,” Kenny mumbles. He reaches for Adam’s hand and squeezes gently. “Was good. We should. Again, sometime.”

Adam blinks, slowly, but Kenny doesn’t seem to be waiting for a response, just closes his eyes. Adam glances back at Mox, who’s moved closer on the bed and now he’s sitting beside Kenny, petting his hair. Mox meets his eyes, keeps his voice soft. “You did good,” he says, all gentle encouragement. 

“Thanks,” Adam shrugs, embarrassed that even now, Mox’s praise is making him blush. “Um. It was good. I mean. I liked it.”

Mox laughs, a quiet rumble that’s more warmth than genuine amusement. “I noticed,” he says, and then after a moment, adds, “Good. Hopefully it gives you something to think about.”

Adam nods. Something to think about is an understatement—he’ll probably be thinking about this for the rest of his life, if his dick has anything to say about it. He lets the moment hang for a little before he looks from Mox to Kenny, then back to Mox. “Um.” He swallows. “Should I… go?”

“Yeah,” Mox says, not unkindly. He’s still petting Kenny’s hair, and Kenny’s curled up with his face against Mox’s thigh, and even though maybe it should, this doesn’t feel like rejection. “There shouldn’t be any surprises for him. At the moment.”

It’s not unexpected, but Adam’s glad that Mox cares about Kenny as much as he does. He gets up, still a little awkward, but he figures there’s no way to make leaving your friend’s hotel room after you watched them fuck un-awkward, so. 

“Thanks,” he says, again, and Mox just nods. Adam lets himself out.

*

A few hours later, Adam is laying in bed, freshly showered and pleasantly buzzed from his nightcap and utterly unable to sleep. Every time he closes his eyes, all he can see is Kenny begging for more, Kenny blissed out and riding the high, Kenny’s hands twisting in the sheets, Kenny’s eyes on him, and Mox, calm and almost aloof, guiding all of them. He can’t stop thinking about the pride filling him almost to bursting when Mox called him _good boy_ , or the way Kenny begged Mox and looked right at Adam, or how simple it was to just do what Mox said.

Adam presses his palms to his eyes, exhaling slowly, as if that can distract him from the fact that he’s getting hard again just thinking about it. It feels so weird to be in the middle of this and still not really know how he feels about— all of it. He doesn’t want to hurt Kenny, but it was so obvious that Kenny loved every second of it. And. He doesn’t think he wants to _get_ hurt, but it looked so hot that Adam can’t help but imagine how it feels, so maybe he does want to get hurt. 

If the night had been intended to give Adam some clarity, it had failed. But, Adam thinks, it might not have been an unproductive failure. He thinks, at least, that he understands the appeal of the kink stuff better now, might even be into some of it, but. He doesn’t know. It’s all too much to puzzle out in his tired brain.

He jacks off, again, and this time when he’s done the exhaustion overtakes him and he actually gets to sleep.

*

When Adam wakes up in the morning, it’s show day, which means gym and rehearsals in the day and the show in the evening. It doesn’t leave him much time to check in with anyone, let alone Kenny, who’s intent on making the Pac match incredible. For his part, Adam can’t concentrate on his own rehearsal, keeps forgetting the sequences until MJF huffs that they should take twenty, clearly frustrated. Adam wants to apologise, but he’s not sure ‘I was thinking about fucking my friend’ would cut it.

So now he’s taking twenty to grab water and a snack. He’s not surprised that he doesn’t see Kenny back here, knows he’s probably out running the same sequence ten times, just in case. Still, as he sits down to eat, his stomach twists a little, concerned. He was so vulnerable when Adam left last night. Mox looked like he knew what he was doing, but. Adam wants to make sure he’s okay. He supposes he’ll have to be satisfied with finding him in the locker room later.

“Hey,” says a voice after a few moments, and Adam startles.

“I didn’t know you had rehearsal today,” he frowns, glancing up at Mox, who shrugs. 

“I don’t. I was looking for you.”

Oh. “Oh.” Adam swallows, unsure what to do with his hands. “Well, um. You found me.”

Mox nods, maintains eye contact with Adam for just longer than is comfortable, then grabs a bottle of water for himself. “Heard you’re off your game today,” he says, and Mox isn’t being mean, but it feels like an accusation. 

Adam shrugs, looks away. The silence hangs for a moment before Adam can make himself say, “Kind of. Distracted.”

“Figured,” Mox says, a bit more gently, and then he adds, “We should talk. Privately.”

Adam wants to refuse, or say _right now?_ or _I’m busy_ but he finds himself standing before any of the excuses come out. If they don’t talk now, he tells himself, it’ll be weird forever. “Sure,” he mumbles, and lets Mox lead him to a quiet corner of the arena.

They sit, and Adam can’t tell if Mox is just quiet as a matter of course or if he’s waiting for Adam to say something. Adam starts to pick at the edge of the water bottle’s label, just for something to do with his hands. Mox still doesn’t say anything, so Adam figures he’s supposed to fill the silence. 

“Um,” he says, as eloquent as ever. “So.”

“So?” Mox prompts, eyes expectant.

“So.” Adam exhales, a little shaky. “Um, I don’t. Know. What I’m supposed to say.”

“Okay.” Mox tilts his head, like he’s sorting through something in his mind. “Well, last night you got off watching me fuck your buddy.”

“Um—” Adam squeaks, flushing bright red, because _how can Mox just_ say _something like that_. “I. I did.”

“And you helped me take care of him afterward.”

Adam frowns. “Well. Yeah. I mean, he’s my friend.”

“It’s just. A good instinct. Relax, man.” Mox smiles a bit, setting his bottle aside and awkwardly patting Adam’s thigh. At least Adam isn’t the only one finding this weird. “I just mean you did good.”

And even when it’s not in the heat of last night, the praise from Mox makes his chest swell. “Oh. Um, thanks."

Mox half-shrugs and just like that, the moment passes. Before Mox speaks again, Adam blurts out, “Is Kenny okay?” 

“Yeah. He’s all good,” Mox says, and he seems to mean it and he’s wearing the warmest smile Adam’s ever seen on him. It’s. Nice. “I wanted to check in with you. You figuring your kink stuff out?”

Adam wants to blow off the question, just mutter _yeah, of course_ and move on, but something in Mox’s gaze prompts him to be honest. So. “I don’t know,” he confesses. He expects Mox to roll his eyes, or something, tell Adam to grow up, but Mox just nods slowly.

“Well, did you like what we did last night?” he asks, and he sounds like he did yesterday, with Kenny, slowly explaining the rules so there’s no confusion. Adam doesn’t know how he feels about that, but. He can feel himself flush, which is. New.

“Yeah. I mean.” Adam huffs out a nervous laugh. “I, like— I got off. So. I liked it.”

“Alright. What did you like about it?”

Adam tries to arrange all the thoughts in his head into something understandable. He’s quiet for a long moment, trying to puzzle out what he liked, how to put those things into words, how to say those words without dying of embarrassment. It’s not like it’s shameful—he knows that, it’s just. He’s not used to talking about sex so openly, even now.

“I…” he starts, and then trails off, shaking his head. He tries again. “Um. I liked. That Kenny was really into it. And, like. Calm. You know? He told me he gets calm, but I didn’t realise until I saw it just, like. How much. It is.”

Mox nods, but he doesn’t say anything. It’s like now that Adam’s started speaking, he can’t stop, but Mox isn’t trying to stop him, so. He tries to explain it all, how Kenny looked like he was in heaven, how safe and free it felt to just do what Mox told him, how he wanted to be the one Kenny was begging for and the one Mox was making beg all at once. Mox nods along, lets Adam speak at his own pace, and Adam doesn’t know if he’s thankful for Mox giving him the space or resentful that he’s making him say it out loud in the first place. Both, maybe.

He stops talking, eventually, stumbling over his words the same way he started. Mox doesn’t speak for a moment, but he grins, and Adam isn’t sure what’s so funny so he returns a nervous smile.

“You’re full of surprises,” Mox says, shaking his head, amusement sparkling in his eyes. “I’ll give you that.”

“Thanks. I think.” Adam fidgets, tearing at the bottle’s label again. 

“I just. Didn’t think you’d be into both sides, is all. Relax.” Mox covers Adam’s hands with his own, pulls them away from the tearing paper. “You should tell Kenny. If you want to top him.” Mox hesitates for a moment. “Well, you should tell Kota. But you should tell Kenny first.”

Adam nods slowly. That’s. A little too real for him at the moment, but. He files it away for future reference.

“And if you want me to take care of you,” Mox adds, gentler now, his hands still on Adam’s, “you should do some googling about what you might want, and then talk to me again.”

And with that, Mox seems to decide the conversation is over, gets up and walks away. Adam stares after him for a moment, his mouth dry, before he can shake it off and get back to rehearsal. MJF grumbles that he’s late back, but Adam doesn’t think he cares, as long as he’s out of his funk now.

When they run the sequence again, Adam can actually concentrate on the rehearsal. He’s counting it as a win.

*

The show goes great. Kenny’s on fire, all ferocity and excess, and it pays off every time the crowd pops. When he isn’t moving, Adam can’t help but see how similar this version of Kenny is to the one in Mox’s bed—turned up, yes, but with the same single-minded focus on _doing good_. By the time Kenny pins Pac, he’s flushed, sweaty, clearly exhausted but so, so proud of himself. Adam can’t help but be happy for him, too.

Adam’s own loss is less jubilant, of course, but he figures he deserves it. He’s distracted, preoccupied with what Mox said earlier, the possibility of _that, again_ , and when MJF pins him, even with the cheating, it doesn’t feel especially unfair.

The shower is scalding hot, but Adam only stays in it long enough for a cursory rinse before he heads out to find Kenny. He finds him in the dressing room, talking animatedly with the Bucks. When Adam walks in, they all exchange pleasant greetings, fist-bumps and back claps, and it would be weird if it weren’t so completely normal. Adam thinks it should feel more weird, but. It makes a crooked kind of sense that he can still talk to Kenny normally. After all, Kenny’s weird.

“Can I talk to you for a sec?” Adam asks, jerks his head toward the door. The Bucks definitely don’t want to hear this. Kenny shrugs and follows him out, tossing his water bottle from hand to hand.

“You good, man?” Kenny asks once the door closes. He looks refreshed, showered and recovered from the match. Something in Adam breathes a sigh of relief.

“I— yeah, I’m fine. I just wanted to check up on you.” Adam pauses. “You know. After.” He waves a hand, shy again. It still feels weird to say.

Kenny grins. “I’m good. I’m great. Did you see me out there? It was incredible.”

“I just mean—” Adam shakes his head, runs a hand through his hair. “When I left. You were all quiet. But you’re good now?”

“Oh, yeah, don’t worry. That just happens, you know? After scenes. Usually I just need like, a hug and someone to sit with me for a bit. Mox is really good about it.”

“Good,” Adam says, emphatically, and he means it. He understands, now, that part of it is about just being taken care of, and knowing Mox does that is soothing.

But. There’s another thing. He hesitates for a moment, then figures that if asking crosses a boundary, Kenny will just tell him to fuck off. Kenny seems to be able to tell that Adam wants to say something else, because he’s just standing there with his arms crossed, waiting.

“You said we should do it again?” Adam manages, finally, all in a rush because if he lets himself think about it longer he’ll think himself out of it. He can feel himself going beet red as Kenny raises his eyebrows. “Um, last night. You said. We should do it again. Do you. Still want to?”

Kenny’s fully grinning by now, not like he’s laughing at Adam but more like he’s. Intrigued, maybe. And surprised. “Do you want to?” Kenny asks, and this is maybe the first time Adam’s seen him be careful with his words.

Adam’s mouth is suddenly dry again, and Kenny’s looking at him, all expectation. He nods. “I want to. Be able to do that for you. What Mox did.”

“Yeah?” Kenny’s beaming now, seems exuberant. “I’d be into that.” He looks Adam up and down, more appreciation than appraisal. “Let me talk to Kota first.”

Adam nods, but he can’t even say _of course_ before Kenny walks back into the dressing room.

*

It’s not until a few days later that the implications of everything that’s happened start to sink in. First he just wanted to know what the fuck was going on between Kenny and Moxley, and now— it’s all gotten so much. Bigger. Adam doesn’t know what to do with it. He still can’t stop thinking about everything that happened that night, about what Mox said, about what _Kenny_ said, and he thinks this might be what it feels like to be slowly going insane.

The worst part, he thinks, is that now he knows this whole thing is something he wants. He should never have pushed, would’ve been perfectly content going his whole life having decent sex without anyone being in charge or whatever. Now, though. Now he knows he wants someone to guide him, sometimes, maybe. And he knows he wants to be the guiding force. Maybe. Or maybe he just wants to do that for Kenny, to help him. Or maybe he’s tricking himself into thinking it’s to help Kenny when really it’s just his fucked-up desire to hurt his fucking friend coming through. Adam can’t get his head around any of it, especially the part where he wants to make Kenny shut up, and just. It can’t be clearer that Adam’s fucked in the head.

And this whole time, Adam has to pretend everything’s normal. Worse, he still has to tag with Kenny, work out with him, plan a match with him. Adam feels like he spends every day desperately trying not to remember how Kenny looked, on the edge of tears underneath Mox, how much he wants to see that again, and worse. He doesn’t know how Kenny can still look at him, feels like all of it is written on his face. Kenny’s probably just pretending not to notice, probably just being nice about it.

And Kenny is so accommodating, is the thing. He doesn’t push Adam, doesn’t try to follow up with him, drops it when Adam gets fidgety. Kenny’s still just Kenny, Adam’s friend, and he’s funny and charismatic and weird in the best way, and Adam doesn’t deserve to be around him with everything in his head.

After the second day Adam all but runs away after they go to the gym together, Kenny seems to realise something’s wrong.

14:03 / Kenny  
you all good man??

14:04 / Hangman  
I’m good. you?

14.08 / Kenny  
fine… are you sure yr good??

14.10 / Hangman  
don’t worry about me 🤠

Adam definitely doesn’t have the words to explain everything to Kenny, even if he wanted to. Kenny, though, apparently doesn’t stop worrying, because twenty minutes later, there’s a knock on Adam’s door.

It’s Mox. Adam blinks. “Uh, hi?”

Mox waves his phone vaguely. “Got sent over. Heard you’re freaking out. Again.”

“I’m fine.” Adam forces a smile, but Mox is already shouldering past him into the room.

“Cut the shit,” he says, not unkindly, sitting down. Adam frowns, but before he can say anything, Mox adds, “You got beer?”

Adam does have beer, but he doesn’t want to have this conversation. “I’m fine,” he repeats, a little more forcefully. “Not freaking out.”

Mox rolls his eyes. “Kenny says you’ve said like, ten words to him in two days.”

“Maybe Kenny’s the one freaking out then!” It’s a stupid, knee-jerk reaction, the kind of thing he used to say when he was sixteen. He just really, really doesn’t want to have this conversation. This time, Mox actually laughs.

“He’s way more obvious about it,” Mox says, his amusement fading. “Come on. I don’t bite.”

The memory comes unbidden, Mox biting a bruise into Kenny’s neck, Kenny turning away like the pleasure is too much. Adam swallows, shakes his head. “Beer,” he mumbles, grabs two from the fridge and hands one to Mox. 

“Thanks,” Mox grins, takes a long pull. “So. Tell me what’s up.”

Adam sits heavily, hunches over, elbows on his knees. Running a hand through his hair, he drinks. “It’s bad to want to hurt people,” he says, as plainly as he can. 

The thing about Mox, Adam is realising, is that his attention can be really intense. Mox is just looking at him steadily, but it’s like the full force of how much Mox can be is focused on him. Adam fidgets, stares down at his beer. “That’s a little complicated,” Mox says. “Technically you hurt people for a living.”

“That’s different. You know that.”

“Why?” It’s not accusatory, but it feels pointed.

“That’s not— like—” Adam shakes his head, frustrated. “They can fight back. And they agreed to it.”

“You don’t think Kenny could fight back, if he wanted? You don’t think Kenny _wanted_ it?”

“It’s not the same!”

“Right,” Mox says, almost gently. “It’s not. But Kenny could fight back, if he wanted. The difference is that he doesn’t want to.”

“That’s not the point,” Adam mutters, frustrated. “It’s not like that. You shouldn’t hurt someone who isn’t fighting back.”

Mox sighs. “You talked to him, right? He told you why he likes it?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Jesus, Page, really? He likes it and it’s all fine and you still have a problem?”

“But _we shouldn’t_ ,” Adam says forcefully. “From the other side. Nobody should _like_ hurting someone.”

Mox scoffs. “So you should suffer through it and he should like it?”

“Maybe!”

There’s a pause. Mox looks frustrated, pinching the bridge of his nose, before he taps something out on his phone. Adam doesn’t know how to break the silence, so he just. Doesn’t.

“Listen,” Mox says, eventually. “It’s not bad to want to do something he likes. Fucking… obviously. But even if it was, part of why he likes it is because he wants to make _you_ happy. Right? Or me. Whoever’s topping him. So if you don’t like it, he won’t either.”

Adam blinks. “Why?”

“How should I know?” Mox shrugs. “People are weird. Sometimes Kenny wants to get hurt to get off. If you want to hurt him to get him off, if that gets _you_ off, then who cares? Match made in heaven."

“But…” Adam swallows. Mox doesn’t cut him off this time, but Adam still has to stop, try to find the right words. “But what if I end up actually fucking him up? Like, bad. And he doesn’t like it anymore.”

“Then he tells you to stop, and you stop, and you look after him until he feels okay again,” Mox says, like it’s the simplest thing in the world. “Look, you aren’t gonna break him. And if you do something that’s too much for him, you can tell, or he’ll say stop, and that’s it. He’s not made of glass.”

It makes sense, when Adam thinks about it. But he can’t stop being worried, can’t stop feeling like he’s doing something bad by even wanting to… to make Kenny submit. Adam’s quiet for a long while, just keeps drinking his beer, staring at the carpet.

Mox breaks the silence, again. “Besides,” he says, like it’s an afterthought and a finisher all at once, “do you really think Kota would be okay with anyone hurting Kenny if it were actually bad?”

“I guess,” Adam says reluctantly. “I just. I don’t want to hurt him. For real.”

“Course you don’t.” Mox is back to being gentle, pats Adam’s arm. “None of us do.” He finishes his beer, sets the bottle on the table between them.

As Mox leaves the room, Adam stares at his bottle. It should feel weirder, he thinks, for Mox to be the one picking up the pieces of this whole thing, but. Mox doesn’t seem to think it’s strange. Maybe Adam shouldn’t either.

*

After a few hours of pacing and wandering around the hotel, Adam allows himself to, like Mox said, do some googling. He’s not even sure where to start—typing ‘kink’ into Google doesn’t seem like the most productive thing to do—but he figures anything he can find is better than what he’s working with right now. Mostly what he finds isn’t that helpful, just porn sites and Cosmo articles, but he spends a little while holed up in his room, poking around the internet.

Doing. Sex research.

20:33 / Hangman  
I did some googling

20:41 / Mox  
yeah? find anything interesting?

20:43 / Hangman  
plenty

20:43 / Hangman  
you said to talk to you

20:50 / Mox   
i gotta make a phone call  
20:51 / Mox  
come to my room tomorrow at 8. we can talk about what you want

20:52 / Hangman  
and then… do it?

20:57 / Mox  
if youre lucky

Adam thinks Mox is maybe teasing him, but he can’t help the shiver of anticipation. This is easier to deal with than anything with Kenny, but it’s still. A lot. Adam just hopes tomorrow will make it easier.

*

By seven the next day, Adam’s given up on pretending he can focus on anything else. It feels different than the first time—there’s still the uncertainty, but where last time he hadn’t known if he should be expecting anything, now he feels like there’s nothing but expectation. He can’t pretend, anymore, that this is something he’s not interested in, or a one-time thing, or some weird Kenny situation that doesn’t involve him. It’s. Terrifying, honestly. And tantalising, all at once.

Adam turns up early, again, this time not out of nervous politeness but out of anticipation. It’s like now that he’s allowing himself to think about any of this shit, it’s all he can think about. He feels like he’s sixteen again, almost, half-lost and half figuring everything out, little by little.

The first time he knocks on Mox’s door, he doesn’t get an answer. Adam thinks he can just about hear someone inside, but. He’s early. He should give Mox a minute. 

Unless Mox is ghosting him, which. He wouldn’t do. Right? He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to do that, but maybe Adam’s just pushed too many of his buttons, which would make sense, but. He said to come. But maybe he’s just humiliating Adam, making him stand awkwardly outside his hotel room for… some reason? To make fun of him, maybe. As a weird prank. Mox might be the kind of guy to do that. But he seemed serious before, so maybe Adam’s just overthinking. He hopes he’s just overthinking. 

When he knocks again, Mox actually answers, and Adam can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Mox looks harried, his hair messy, a cigarette tucked in the corner of his mouth, his phone in hand, and at the sight of Adam, he seems to relax a bit.

“You’re way early,” he says, waving Adam inside. Mox closes the door behind him, takes a drag. The room isn’t any different than Adam remembers, except for the fact that this time there isn’t a kneeling Kenny here. Mox waves him toward the chairs, and Adam sits, trying very hard not to think about what he was doing in one of these chairs last time.

“Should you be smoking in here?” Adam mumbles, glancing around. The smoke detector looks. Broken. Adam blinks.

“Don’t care,” Mox’s laughter rumbles from across the room, as he straightens the covers on the bed. Adam isn’t sure what he expected, but Mox clearly isn’t interested in talking about it. There’s two cups on the coffee table. Adam gazes at them, confused, until Mox’s voice comes again. “I made tea.” 

Adam can’t help the little half-laugh that escapes his lips. “Tea?” he asks, dubious. “No beer this time?”

Mox straightens, takes another drag. It’s almost burned down, Adam notices. “No alcohol,” says Mox, parking himself in the other chair, “before a scene. Safety 101. Either one of us has alcohol in our systems, we’re more likely to make a mistake. Push too far, or something. So I made tea.”

As if to demonstrate, Mox takes a sip from his cup before he stubs out his cigarette in the ashtray on the table. It’s an oddly sweet gesture, Adam thinks. “Oh,” he says quietly. He takes a sip of his own, to be polite more than anything, and. It’s fine. It’s nice. “Thanks.”

Mox nods. His fingers twitch, like he’s about to light another cigarette, but he doesn’t. “So,” he says, after a moment. “You did some research.”

“Uh,” Adam agrees, turning the cup around in his hands. “I. Yeah. I did.”

“And?” Mox glances at him, half-smiling. Adam would be more annoyed at Mox’s clear amusement if he didn’t get it. Mox has probably been doing this stuff for years, and Adam seems like a dumb teenager.

“Uh, I. Made a list?” Adam’s face is on fire as he holds up his phone. He’s not used to talking about sex this fucking much, usually just extends an invitation and deals with the answer. As desperately as he’s trying to not feel weird about this, he can’t help it.

“Alright. Let’s see it.”

Adam opens the note and hands his phone over, chewing on the inside of his lip. Maybe some of what he wrote down is too weird for Mox, or Mox will judge him for it, or he’ll tell the whole locker room about it. Adam’s heart is pounding in his chest as he drinks some more tea, tries to tell himself Mox wouldn’t do that. 

Before Adam can think himself into a spiral, Mox says, “We’re not doing all of this tonight,” and nothing in his tone has changed, so. Maybe it’s okay.

“Okay,” Adam says, hesitant. It’s not disappointing, really—it makes sense—but his heart still sinks a little.

“I’m not gonna tie you up. This time.” Mox isn’t talking like he’s trying to rile Adam up, but it sends a shiver down his spine anyway. _Maybe next time he will._ “But we can… yeah. Alright.” Mox hands the phone back to Adam, screen black. Adam blinks.

“We can…?” 

“Some of the other stuff. Finish your tea,” Mox says firmly, setting his own empty cup back down on the table. “Calms the nerves.”

Adam takes another sip, tries to let it relax him. “So. Um. What… are we gonna do?”

“Easy, cowboy,” Mox laughs, a quiet rumble in his chest. “Ground rules first.”

That makes sense. All the articles Adam had read were very clear about establishing ground rules. He finishes his tea, lets Mox talk.

The amusement’s faded from Mox’s face now, replaced by the same fierce intensity as when he was setting out the rules last time. “This is about what you want,” he says firmly. “It’s about you having a good time. Okay? So if you wanna stop, anytime, no matter what, you say stop.”

“No hard feelings?” Adam mumbles, smiling a little, the echo from last time almost comforting. 

“No hard feelings,” Mox nods. “Same goes for me. I wanna stop, I say stop.”

That seems obvious, but Mox is staring at him like it’s crucial that he understands, so Adam nods back. “Sure,” he says, quiet.

“Good. Now.” Mox stands, stretches his arms over his head. Adam can’t help but watch him, all muscle and confidence. “If you want something, ask for it. And do as you’re told.”

“Okay,” he murmurs, and it feels like his voice is already breaking, the anticipation almost too much for him. God, he wants this so bad, wants Mox to take over for him, get him out of his head. Mox is smirking down at him, like he can see what Adam’s thinking, and his added height makes Adam feel tiny. It’s like Mox is the whole world, now, and his focus on Adam is flattering and overwhelming all at once. 

There’s a moment where neither of them moves, just hold eye contact. It lasts long enough that Adam figures he’s supposed to break the silence; it takes him a moment more to realise that asking for what he wants starts now.

“Um, can I kiss you?” he asks, quiet and suddenly shy.

Mox smiles, a soft, gentle thing. “Course you can,” he murmurs, like he’s surprised and pleased all at once. The pride swells in Adam’s chest, again, and he takes Mox’s hand, standing.

It occurs to Adam, briefly, that they’ve never kissed. It hadn’t seemed strange before, when Mox had Kenny to take care of, but Adam’s never watched someone have sex before he’s kissed them. He doesn’t have time to get caught up in the thought, though, because Mox’s hand is gentle on his jaw and then Mox is kissing him, and. It’s everything Mox has been with Adam, kind and soft with a little edge to it, Mox biting Adam’s lip, almost teasing. Adam can’t help his little gasp when Mox pulls away, his hand still resting at the base of Adam’s neck. 

When Adam opens his eyes, the kindness in Mox’s smile is gone, replaced by a sharpness that feels like appraisal. “You’re so sweet,” Mox says softly, brushing his thumb across Adam’s lower lip, a small gesture that feels bigger, feels like Mox is claiming him. “Wanna see you cry for me.”

Adam gasps sharply as the words send a shudder through him. “Yeah,” he mutters, the weight of Mox’s thumb still barely-there and heavy all at once on his lip. “Please.”

Mox grins, all mischief and danger. “Asking nicely,” he says with an approving nod. “Good boy.”

Adam can feel his face light up, blush deeper, and he knows Mox notices too. “Please,” he whispers again, helpless and painfully hard. Mox steps away, impassive now, and Adam can’t help his whimper, high and quiet and unmistakably desperate. 

“Get naked,” Mox orders, his tone clipped, and Adam’s reeling, breathless, eager to please. He can feel Mox’s eyes on him as he strips, heat boring into his skin, and it’s so _much_ but Adam wants to keep his attention forever. He’s clumsy, now, hands shaking a little, anticipation and adrenaline, so he’s forcing himself to slow down. Usually he’s not thinking about his clothes, drops them wherever they land, but he wants to _be good_ so he folds his shirt after he takes it off, tucks his shoes against the chair, makes everything tidy.

When Adam looks up, Mox is grinning, clearly amused. “Very neat,” he murmurs, glancing at the pile before his eyes rake over Adam. Adam feels exposed, stripped bare in more ways than one, especially when Mox is standing there fully clothed. “And very pretty,” he says, looking back at Adam. He doesn’t think he can physically blush any more.

“Thanks,” Adam mumbles, starting to fidget. He’s never just stood in front of someone, naked, for them to look at before, but Mox’s approval makes it feel new in all the best ways.

“On the bed, I think,” Mox muses, like he’s talking to himself. Adam only realises it’s directed at him when Mox waves a hand, impatient. “Sit up against the headboard.”

When Adam walks over to the bed, he props a pillow against the headboard first, unsure how long he’ll be sitting there. It feels wrong, almost, to do so without asking first, but when he glances at Mox for approval, he just shrugs. Adam sits, and even though he’s a natural performer, he doesn’t know how to show off for Mox, like this. It feels like it’s his first time again, stumbling and awkward.

"Good boy," Mox says softly, making his way over to the bed like he's stalking an opponent in the ring. He's putting on a show, Adam realises, telegraphing intent in every gesture, just for him. Instinct tells Adam to size him up, assess the threat, but this time, Adam just gets to enjoy the show.

"Hi," Adam says, once Mox is close enough to touch. Mox is staring down at him, something like hunger in his eyes, and that's something Adam's familiar with. He reaches out, rests a cautious hand on Mox's hip. "Want you to fuck me." 

Mox grins, and it's pure danger, the same way he looked at Kenny on the floor. "That doesn't sound like asking to me." He sits on the bed, in front of Adam, grabs the back of his neck again, this time roughly enough that Adam gasps, stares open-mouthed at Mox. "Have to be good to get what you want."

Adam's mouth is dry, Mox's hand still tight on him, and he doesn't think he's ever been this hard or felt this _much_ in his life. "Please," he whispers, voice cracking. "Please fuck me, I want it so bad, god, _please_."

"Much better," Mox murmurs, his grip gentling on Adam's neck, and then he's kissing Adam again, sweetness replaced by pure hunger, like he wants to drink Adam in, and Adam can't help but follow his lead, open up for him, whimper against his lips as their tongues slide together, hot and wet and filthy. As Mox pulls back, he bites Adam's lip one last time, leaves Adam panting and reeling as he rummages in the bedside drawer.

When Adam sees the bottle of lube in Mox's hand, he lays down properly on the bed and lets his legs fall open, too far gone to care about looking desperate, but Mox says, "Good boy," and any apprehension in Adam just evaporates. He's being _good_. For a moment, Mox just sits there, lube in hand, looks Adam over again, and Adam can only imagine what he sees, knows how flushed he must be. He saw how Kenny looked last time, and Adam can't look much different, and somehow that thought goes straight to his cock, the fact that Mox could have anyone he wants spread out under him and he chose Adam.

Adam wants to make that a good choice. Almost before he decides to, he reaches for Mox, palms him over his jeans and is—relieved? gratified?—to find that Mox is hard too, that Adam did that to him. Before Adam can do anything else, though, Mox is chuckling softly, taking Adam's wrist and moving his hand away. Adam makes a little confused sound, and Mox moves the hand on his neck up to his hair, scratches his scalp gently.

"Not yet, sweetheart," he says, chiding. "You can make me come later. Got plans for you first."

"Plans?" Adam echoes, his fingers digging into Mox's arm as he tries to suppress the shiver that runs through him. Mox looks like he can see right through him, places Adam's hand firmly back on the bed.

"Mm." Mox doesn't give any warning before he wraps a big, callused hand around Adam's cock, gives him a single, achingly slow stroke, and Adam's hips buck against him instantly, floored by the sudden contact after so much nothing. Mox keeps talking like he doesn't even notice. "Gonna make you come on my fingers first. Bet it won't take long, hm? You're so eager for it."

Adam can't speak, can't think about anything but how Mox's fingers will feel inside him. He whimpers his wordless agreement, but Mox is still talking. "Then I'm gonna fuck you, I think. Mark you up, not let you come down. Suck you off. Get a taste of you. I wonder how much you can take."

"All of it," Adam mumbles, even though he's not sure he can, but he wants to show Mox he can be good, can come over and over if that's what Mox wants.

The glint in Mox's eye says he can tell, but Mox doesn't call him on it. "I bet you can," he says instead, his voice low and smooth. "My good boy." 

Adam nods emphatically, wants to say _I am, I am, let me show you_ , but his mouth doesn't want to make the words. He thinks Mox understands, though, because Mox is stroking his cheek and kissing him again and Adam thinks he could do this forever, kiss Mox and do as he's told and be his good boy. Too soon, Mox pulls away, and Adam makes a disappointed sound before he sees that Mox is coating his fingers with lube.

"Please," he breathes, again, and it feels like that's the only word he knows. Mox spreads a hand over his chest, warm and steady, before he presses a finger into Adam, and god, Adam missed this so much, missed someone else stretching him open. He whines, unrestrained and probably too loud for a hotel room, but he can't help it, can't stop himself from rolling his hips to meet Mox's finger, but Mox moves his free hand to Adam's hip, stops him.

"No moving," he says sternly, then crooks his finger, draws another high, desperate noise from Adam. Adam's hips push up, again, into Mox’s hand, but Mox is stronger, holds him down, and Adam nods frantically.

"No moving," he echoes, barely a whisper, forces his hips fully back onto the bed. Mox rewards him by adding another finger, and Adam whimpers, grabs onto the headboard to stop himself from moving, and now Mox's hand is gentle on his hip, petting the skin there, his thumb moving in gentle circles over bone. Adam thinks he can feel every tiny pinprick of Mox’s touch, every movement laid bare, and he never wants it to stop.

"Good boy," Mox murmurs, and Adam _preens_. He doesn't know if it's ever felt this good to be opened up, but Mox is looking at him and Mox's hands are on him and his fingers are inside him and that's the only thing that matters. 

"Look at you, all laid out." Mox is just gazing at him, now, his eyes full of desire, and he _twists_ his fingers just so and digs his nails into Adam's hip and Adam sees stars, breathes out a string of curses he hopes Mox can understand. "Yeah?" Mox says quietly, repeating the movement, raking his nails down the soft skin on the inside of Adam's thigh, and Adam can't keep himself from moving, his hips snapping to meet Mox, but this time Mox doesn't seem to mind, because instead of telling him to stay still, he wraps a hand around his cock, again, strokes fast and rough and too much and not enough, and Adam cries out, tears forming in his eyes. It's so good, it's too good, he can't stand it.

"You wanna come, you gotta ask," Mox reminds him, and his voice is so gentle compared to what he's doing and Adam doesn't think he wants this moment to ever end, and he's so close it hurts.

"Please," he whimpers, his voice hoarse, sweat sticking hair to his face. "Please let me come, I'm so close, I can't..."

"Come on, pretty boy," Mox says, and just like that, Adam's gone, coming over Mox's hand with a groan. He's panting, trying to catch his breath as Mox strokes through the last of his orgasm, pace still too fast but more bearable now. Mox's fingers have stilled inside him, too, a welcome moment of rest. Mox glances curiously between his hand and Adam.

"How do you feel about cleaning me up?" he asks, curious, and it's nothing Adam hasn't done before but it feels different this time, somehow _more_. Unable to find words again, Adam just nods, and Mox holds his hand up to Adam's mouth. Adam licks his hand clean carefully, doesn't care about the bitter-salt taste in his desire to please Mox. Before Adam's licked the last of his come off Mox's hand, Mox twists his fingers again, and Adam just _keens_ , caught off-guard and still hazy after coming. 

"Come on, babe, clean me off," Mox says, casual, like he doesn't know why Adam got distracted. Adam flushes, licks up the last drops of come, presses a kiss to the pad of Mox's thumb as a silent apology. Mox cups his face gently, then adds another finger, stretching him open even further. Adam whines, his head falling back against the headboard, and Mox's hand is on his throat for a brief, exhilarating moment before Mox pulls his hand back and rests it on Adam's hip.

"You good?" Mox asks, sincere this time, all his playfulness gone. Adam nods, chest still heaving; he's taken dick with less prep than this, and he wants Mox in him, _now_. 

"Good. 'm good," he manages, rolling his hips against Mox's hand until Mox pushes his hip down again.

"Condoms, bedside drawer," Mox murmurs, nodding at the drawer.

"We don't have to..." Adam starts, but Mox digs his nails into Adam's hip, shaking his head.

"Condoms," he repeats, more firmly. "Be good, Hangman."

Adam nods, hurried, and grabs a condom from the drawer with a shaky hand. Mox kisses his knuckles before he takes it, hands firm and sure. Adam whimpers when Mox pulls his fingers out, suddenly empty after so much, but he's watching hungrily as Mox takes off his jeans and boxers, rolls the condom on. 

"Please," Adam breathes, transfixed by the way Mox's hand is moving over his cock. "Fuck me, 'm ready, please."

Mox rests his hand on Adam's hip again, steady, and pushes in. He's moving slow, steady, and Adam always loves this, the first slide into him like he's being filled completely. He reaches for Mox's face, pulls him closer, and he doesn't know how else to express how _much_ , how perfect this is, so he kisses him, desperate and blissed-out all at once. Mox kisses back, returns everything Adam shows him, and Adam figures this must be intense for him too, having someone so completely like this.

Mox isn't moving yet, just giving Adam a minute to get used to it, but Adam doesn't want to wait. "Fuck me, please," he whispers again, against Mox's mouth, and Mox seems to understand that he means it because he doesn't ask if he's sure, just starts moving, his hips circling in this slow, agonising grind that's so deep, so perfect, but nowhere near enough. Mox kisses along Adam's jaw, and he's feeling so many sensations he doesn't know how to deal with all of it, and then Mox bites a bruise into his neck and he groans, low and desperate. Mox pulls back, licks over the bruise, and then rests a hand on Adam's chest, possessive and gentle at once.

"My good boy," he murmurs, and it sounds a little more strained, like it's harder to keep his composure now, and Adam's so proud of himself for _doing_ that to Mox, and then Mox rakes his nails straight down Adam's chest, in time with a particularly deep thrust. 

"Fuck," Adam whimpers, watching the red lines appear, raised and angry. His hips buck again, too fast, too _much_ for him to stop himself, and Mox just pushes him down again, harder. "Fuck. Yeah..."

Mox nods, kisses his way down to Adam's collarbone, and as he bites a bruise there he pulls out almost all the way before he pushes back in, rough and the perfect kind of almost-painful. Adam can't shut up, he can't stop making noise, and he doesn't know how he's hard again or when that happened but he is. 

"I'm not gonna touch you this time," Mox says against his skin, bites another bruise into his chest. "You're gonna come when I say. Yeah?"

Adam whimpers, shakes his head. That's not a real thing people can do, he's pretty sure, and _he's_ definitely never done it, but he doesn't have the words to say that right now. "I can't," he tries, breathless. Mox shakes his head, straightens. 

"You will," he says, all confidence, brushing his fingers over all the marks he's left, punctuates each with a sharp thrust. "I'll show you."

Adam still doesn't know that he can, but Mox is telling him to, so he will. Mox brushes his fingers over the last bruise he left, the one on Adam's neck, and then Mox's hand is around his throat. He's not pressing down, not yet, but his hand is right there and he _could_ , if he wanted to, and Adam just freezes.

"Yeah?" Mox says, gently, brushing his thumb gently over Adam's pulse point . "You still want this?"

"Yes," Adam says, too fast, too desperate, but he can't have Mox pull away now. "Yes. Yes. Please."

"Thought so." And Mox is inside him and on top of him and Mox has his hand around Adam's throat and Adam couldn't want him more, couldn't be more turned on and then Mox presses down and it's like the world shrinks to only the points at which Mox is touching his body, only the parts of him that belong to Mox. His head falls back, baring his throat completely for Mox, and Mox’s grip tightens just a little bit more, just enough that Adam can’t quite manage to suck in a breath. He can’t get enough, can’t stop himself from moving, pushes his hips back against Mox, feels his weight in him and on top of him and around him and he closes his eyes, can’t keep them open with all the _sensation_. Bright fireworks go off behind his eyelids, green and gold and sparking just like the feeling in his hips, his spine, his throat. 

Mox keeps pressing his hand down, harder, and Adam can feel the pressure _everywhere_ , in his ears and behind his eyes and in his windpipe and, god, his cock, sparks running through his entire body, until Adam feels Mox's hips stutter, feels Mox come inside him, and Mox's hand is still on throat and Mox is whispering in his ear, "Come on, pretty boy, come for me," and Adam _does_. Just like that, Mox takes his hand off Adam's throat and cups his face gently, brushing his thumb across his cheek. The pad of Mox's thumb is wet and it occurs to Adam, after a moment, that it must be because there are tears on Adam's face, that Mox is wiping them away. He opens his eyes—he's not sure when he closed his eyes, but he opens them—and Mox is watching him, his gaze soft.

"There you are," he says quietly, smiling. "I think we're done for the night, yeah?"

Adam's confused. He frowns. "But you wanted to make me come again..."

"I did." Mox nods. "And I will. Just not tonight. Okay?"

The panic is rising in Adam's chest. He made Mox change the plan. He didn't do good enough. "I was bad," he whispers, sounds pathetic and broken even to his own ears.

"Hey, no," Mox says gently, turning Adam's face toward his own. "You did great. You did perfect. But I think this is enough for one night. Okay?"

"I didn't do bad?" Adam sniffles. It feels stupid, but he can't help it, wants so badly to be good.

Mox shakes his head firmly. "You didn't do bad. You did perfect. Still my good boy."

Adam breathes a sigh of relief, rubs his eye. "Okay. Done for tonight."

"That's my boy," Mox says, quiet and affectionate. He pulls out carefully, ties off the condom and throws it away. Glancing at the come on Adam's stomach, he smiles a bit and strips his shirt off, wipes off most of the mess, tosses it off the bed.

"Thank you," Adam mumbles, and Mox ruffles his hair. The gesture makes him feel warm, and he beams. Mox laughs quietly.

"Alright, cowboy, how about a cuddle?" It sounds strange, such a cutesy word coming from Mox. Adam thinks he likes it, this softer side of Mox, opening his arms. Adam curls close to him, tucks himself against Mox's side, allows himself to be as small as he feels. It's. Really nice. Adam kisses his chest, shy, and Mox ruffles his hair again.

"What say we watch a movie or somethin', hm?" Mox asks. Adam means to say no, excuse himself and go back to his own room, shower and sleep or go to the bar like he usually does, but he can't find the willpower. 

He stifles a yawn instead, and nods. "Should watch _True Grit._ If it's on anywhere." 

"Sure, pretty boy," Mox rumbles. "Whatever you want." He turns the TV on, opens the guide. It looks like he really is trying to find _True Grit,_ from the scant attention Adam's paying, and he's touched, in a weird way. The room is quiet for a long moment; the only sound is their mixed breathing and, every so often, the click of the remote as Mox goes to the next page. In the quiet, Adam realises just how tired he really is, gives up on following along with Mox and just closes his eyes.

Another few minutes pass, and Mox squeezes him gently. Adam blinks his eyes open, slow, almost dazed. "Mm?" he mumbles, rubbing his eyes.

"Hey, sleepy," Mox smiles. "No _True Grit._ We've got _Home Alone 2,_ though. That okay?"

Adam laughs. "Sure," he says, curling closer to Mox, but before he can close his eyes again, Mox nudges him. Adam makes a displeased noise, and Mox laughs softly.

"Gotta drink some water before you fall asleep on me," he explains, holding an open water bottle out. Adam wants to refuse, but Mox is probably right. Water is important. Reluctantly, he takes the bottle, drinks some.

"Good boy," Mox murmurs. The rush from the praise isn't as intense, now that they're done fucking, but it still feels nice. Adam beams.

"Can sleep now?" Adam asks, looking up at Mox with wide eyes. Mox nods.

"Course you can." He kisses Adam's forehead, impossibly gentle. "Sleep well, pretty boy."

* 

Adam wakes up in the morning still in Mox's bed and, unexpectedly, still in Mox's arms. They've gotten closer during the night, tangled up now, legs intertwined, Adam's arm over Mox's waist, Mox's arm under Adam's. It's. Really nice, actually. Adam misses these domestic moments, these parts of having a partner. He didn't expect to find it again with Mox, of all people.

Carefully, slowly, Adam disentangles himself and gets up. He didn't think he'd sleep here, so he doesn't have a change of clothes, but he doesn't mind doing a walk of shame for all of three floors. He doesn't want to go back to his room unshowered, though, and figures Mox won't mind, so he heads to the bathroom.

Adam blinks at his reflection. He'd known Mox left marks, but he didn't realise they were this visible, bright blotches of purple on his collar and shoulders, scratch marks down his chest, some lighter bruising in three broad lines around his neck. He touches one on his throat, gently, almost marveling. They look good on him, sure, but it'll be hell to cover up for the show in a few days. The thought should worry him, but somehow it doesn't. He'll figure it out, he's sure. 

He shakes himself out of staring at his reflection (how narcissistic), starts the shower running. He showers with Mox's soap, Mox's shampoo, tries to avoid asking himself if it means something more than casual sex. It's just a fuck and a shower, he tells himself. But. Mox had held him after, and kissed his forehead, and made sure he was okay. He'd been so sweet. Adam doesn't know what to make of that.

He cuts his introspection short, gets out of the shower. There's nothing romantic here, he tells himself. He's just morning-after overthinking like he always does. When he steps back into the bedroom, a towel around his waist and another in his hands, Mox is awake, sitting naked on the bed and smoking.

"Morning," Adam says, starting to dry his hair. "Sleep okay?"

"Yeah, good," Mox replies, and it's weird that this is the first time Adam's seen him be awkward. Mox waves the cigarette packet at Adam. "You smoke?"

Adam shakes his head. "Not first thing in the morning."

Mox shrugs, takes a long drag, as if to spite Adam. "Wakes me up," he explains. "How are you feeling?"

"A little sore," Adam confesses with a rueful smile. "But okay."

"Not in a weird headspace or anything?"

"No. Should I be?"

"Just checking," Mox says, half-sarcastic, but Adam's glad he's asking. He doesn't know how he'd be feeling if he went back to his own room last night. 

But that feels too big to say, so. He doesn't.

"Breakfast?" Adam offers instead. It feels like a basic courtesy, and Mox grins.

"If you're buying."

* 

Adam stops by his own room, of course, for a change of clothes and to brush his teeth, and then they go to Denny's, because neither of them want anything fancy. Adam and Mox haven't spent a ton of platonic time together, so every so often they lapse into awkward silence, between a mix of pleasantries and shop talk. _How's your wife?_ , Adam will ask, and Mox will say _Good, yeah, who are you up against this week?_

It occurs to Adam that he doesn't really know Mox at all, and while breakfast has the atmosphere of a one-night stand awkwardly staying the night, it somehow also feels comfortable. The silences can be awkward, but Adam doesn't feel the urge to fill them like he does with most people. Mox is okay with just not talking for a bit, and Adam's pleasantly surprised to find that he can fit right in with that.

When they're each on their third coffees, breakfast plates half-finished or cleared away, Mox reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a few pages, stapled together. Adam frowns, confused. "What's that?" He tries to peer through the paper, see if it's a contract or a letter or— he doesn't know what the possibilities even are.

"This," Mox says, waving it in the air, "is your key to Kenny."

He sets the papers on the table, text facing Adam, and slides them over. Adam's frown deepens as he reads the title of the first page, bracketed in garish clip-art sparkles:

_A Comprehensive Guide to Topping Kenny Omega_

Adam looks up. "There's. A guide?"

"Kota made it. So everyone's on the same page."

"I thought Kota didn't speak English?" Adam hasn't looked at it closely yet, but he can see that the packet isn't in Japanese. On second glance, he can also see that the page is bordered with a pattern of gold stars and omega symbols, which would be cute if it weren't so weird.

Mox half-grimaces, but he can't hold back his laughter as he explains. "He had Nak translate it."

"Nak." Adam blinks. "I. Okay."

Mox pours himself another cup of coffee, gestures at the pages with the pot. "You were worried about fucking up," he says, drinking. Mox takes his coffee black, and piping hot. Adam doesn't understand him. "So. Read that, and you won't."

Adam frowns. "Does Kenny know about this? Kota just wrote it by himself?"

"He doesn't know about it," Mox says, but it's not in the conspiratorial tone of someone planning something. "But he knows Kota makes sure everyone looks after him. So he knows about the idea."

"Are you sure he wouldn't mind?"

Mox shrugs. "I think he'd think it's cute, if anything. Nobody's keeping it a secret from him, anyway. He just hasn't noticed yet."

"There's a guide to fucking Kenny and he hasn't noticed yet?" Adam's lost all over again. He'd just come to terms with the whole kink thing, and now he has to learn about a whole new weird dimension of Kenny's relationship.

"Are you really surprised?" Mox asks, and. He's kind of right. Kenny isn't the most observant person. "Anyway, thanks for breakfast. Let me know if you wanna do this again."

And then Mox actually fucking winks at him as he leaves.

*

When he gets back to the hotel, Adam doesn’t have to be anywhere else today, so he goes to the bar. He needs a fucking drink. Every time he thinks he has a handle on all the shit going on with Kenny and Mox and himself and whoever else, something comes up that takes the floor out from under him again. He doesn’t want to be an asshole, hurt Kenny or Mox, but. He still doesn’t know how to not be weird about this. Somehow he’s along on this ride, and. It’s not. Bad, or anything. But it’s more than Adam’s experienced, and he thinks he’s doing pretty well for having all of this dropped on him in the span of two weeks.

He gets two double whiskeys and downs them both. When the third is in front of him, he thinks he might be off-kilter enough for the normal fucking world to drop away, so he pulls the guide out of his pocket.

It takes him three more whiskeys to read the guide, and another to comprehend it. It’s all so. Big. He doesn’t know how Kenny can trust as many people as he does with his safety, doesn’t know whether he deserves to be one of those people, but. He sees how Kenny gets. If it helps, Adam wants to be able to do anything for him. 

But Kenny hasn’t said anything to Adam about it since after the show last week, even though they’ve seen each other most days, and. Does that mean he doesn’t want to fuck Adam anymore? Which is fine, obviously, but. A little disappointing. But maybe he hasn’t said anything because he was worried about Adam, because Adam was freaking out, which. He was. And it was Kenny who sent Mox over the other day, so maybe Kenny doesn’t want to push. But does that mean Adam should be the one to push? Adam doesn’t want to push Kenny into doing anything— at all, really, let alone anything he doesn’t want to do. 

It’s all so much, is the thing. And the whiskey is making Adam’s head spin a little, and he’s really not sure what to think about any of it, and. He doesn’t want to freak out all over again, but it feels inevitable and god, he needs to stop thinking about how much he wants to fuck his friend, but he _can’t,_ especially now. 

Rather than drunk text Kenny, or Mox—or worse, someone who doesn’t know about this shit—he drags himself back to his room, plants himself face-down on the bed fully clothed. The alcohol makes him feel heavy, too tired even though it’s only seven in the evening, and he can barely keep his eyes open. He knows, vaguely, in the back of his mind, that he should stay up, get dinner with his friends or work out or read or watch something stupid on TV, but he can’t bring himself to, just wants to sleep.

It’s only in the morning that he sees the text from Matt.

23:47 / Matt  
Hey so what the fuck is going on with you and Kenny lately?

*

The next morning, Adam’s hangover isn’t that bad—obviously, he thinks, since he passed out at half past seven and slept till nine in the morning—but the headache is just annoying enough that he really doesn’t want to go to the gym. For a long moment, he considers it, but. He can’t justify not showing up, especially given that he’s working on a few sequences with Kenny today, and Adam doesn’t want to let him down.

Eventually, he manages to force himself out of bed, into the shower, down to the gym. Kenny’s already there, of course, sets his weights aside when he sees Adam and comes over to greet him, grinning in a way Adam finds extremely worrying. 

“Morning, sleepy,” he says, claps Adam’s back and looks him over. “Heard you had fun the other night.”

Adam grimaces. Right, he remembers. Mox does Mondays. He’s not sure why he’s surprised, honestly—granted, Mox doesn’t seem like the type to kiss and tell, but Adam figures that if Kenny asked, Mox wouldn’t see a problem telling him. Besides, it’s only fair that since Adam knows about Kenny and Mox, Kenny should get to know about him and Mox. So.

“Yeah,” Adam shrugs, feels himself flush. “And, um. You had fun yesterday?”

Kenny laughs. “Sure did.” He tilts his head, peers at Adam for a moment. “Makeup’s gonna have fun with you tomorrow.” 

Adam touches a mark on his neck, self-conscious. “Yeah. I, uh. Wasn’t thinking about it at the time.”

“Can’t blame you,” Kenny shrugs, and just like that, this conversation seems to be over. “Shall we?”

And somehow, it’s not weird. There’s no awkward silences, and when they talk, it’s easy, back and forth. Like it was before Adam found out about any of this. He’s thankful, in a weird way, that Kenny can be so casual about sex that it feels like nothing. When they start running sequences, they’re in better sync than they’ve ever been, and. Adam doesn’t know what to think of that, but it feels fucking great. They’re both good workers, work loose even when they’re so tense they can’t think, but today it just all feels. Right. 

By the time either of them is tired enough to break for lunch, it’s three. Kenny looks positively gleeful, and Adam can’t deny that he’s glad to see the exhilarated grin on his face, feels an answering smile tug at his lips. 

They eventually call it a day at eight, a couple hours after everyone else in the gym has retired. Adam’s always hated the feeling of being the only ones left in the gym, but today, it feels pretty good. There’s nobody else to break their focus, and Kenny visibly relaxes once everyone else leaves, which makes him that much easier to work with. It feels like clockwork, and when they eventually wind down, Adam can’t wipe the smile off his face. He’d had no idea how badly his Kink Panic was affecting work with Kenny.

“So, uh, I talked to Kota,” Kenny says, as he’s toweling off his hair. They’re both exhausted, but in the best way, where Adam can almost feel his body humming in satisfaction. Kenny’s words jolt him out of his thoughts, and he swallows.

“Oh. Yeah?”

“Yeah. He trusts you.” Kenny pats Adam’s shoulder with a warm smile. It feels like it should be awkward, but it’s not. “I trust you too. Obviously. So. Let me know if you wanna, you know. Do whatever.”

And then Kenny walks off. Adam wonders if anyone’s gonna get sick of leaving him reeling.

*

Once Adam’s rinsed the drying sweat off, the rush of a good day of work has faded and left him with pure fatigue. It takes him more effort than it should to banish the anxiety and actually text Kenny, but. It’s probably time for him to be the one to initiate, given how much everyone’s been holding his hand on the whole thing.

21:19 / Hangman  
you wanna come back to my room after the show tomorrow?

21:34 / Kenny  
yeah? you over your panic?

21:39 / Hangman  
well I hope so

21:44 / Kenny  
let’s hope. can’t wait ❤️

Adam doesn’t have time to start freaking out again before he falls asleep.

*

The show goes great. Adam feels fucking incredible all night, forgets about everything else, just does the best work he possibly can, and it feels like absolutely everyone else does too. There’s always this amazing little bubble on show day, this perfect unity where everyone in the room is working in pursuit of the same thing, and Adam can feel it even more today. It feels like the two hours last a week and a second all at once, and when he looks around, Adam can tell everyone feels the same. It’s just. It’s amazing.

And then, just like that, it’s over, and Adam’s letting hot water ease some of the knots in his back and suddenly remembers that, right, he and Kenny are fucking tonight. It doesn’t hit him as hard as maybe it should. Maybe there’s something to be said for getting acclimated to all the weird bullshit that goes on around Kenny.

Adam takes his time in the shower, more to calm his nerves than anything, lets himself stay longer than he usually does. Once he’s out, dry and dressed, he thinks he’s gonna have to go looking for Kenny, but as soon as he steps out of the locker room, Kenny’s there, leaning against the wall. His face lights up when he sees Adam.

“Took you long enough,” he says, but there’s no venom in it. He looks how Adam feels, tired and buzzing at the same time.

“Sorry,” Adam mumbles, shoulders his bag. “You all ready to go?”

Kenny nods, and it’s only now that Adam realises Kenny’s almost bouncing off his feet. It’s sweet, that he’s so excited. Adam smiles, wraps an arm around his waist. Touching Kenny like this is easy, natural, even outside of the promise of more once they get back to the hotel. It’s just. It’s nice, Adam thinks, walking with him to the taxi. They’re so used to having their hands on each other, is the thing, working together and building out a match, that Adam can almost convince himself that this isn’t anything new. That it isn’t out of the ordinary. But, of course, there’s this buzz under his skin now, like he’s a compass and Kenny is his north, and he can’t ignore that. From the way Kenny will barely leave his side, he thinks Kenny feels it too.

Kenny plasters himself to Adam’s side for the whole cab ride, barely talks. It’s unusual for Kenny, but sometimes he gets like this after a great match. Then again, Adam remembers, there was a bullet point in the packet about Kenny getting quiet when he’s anticipating something, so. Adam figures that’s probably what it is. It feels nice, knowing Kenny trusts him, that Kenny’s placing himself in Adam’s hands. Adam settles back in the seat, pets Kenny’s hair gently.

It feels like the cab ride lasts forever and no time at all, but eventually the driver pulls up to the hotel. Adam thanks her—he wasn’t raised in a barn—and pays, then nudges Kenny.

“We’re here, babe,” he says quietly. Kenny rolls his eyes.

“I wasn’t sleeping.”

Adam shrugs. “Sure you weren’t. Get out of the car.” He offers his hands, helps Kenny out. He can feel Kenny’s eyes on him as he grabs their bags from the trunk, tries not to react. “Haven’t changed your mind?” Adam asks, reaches a hand out for Kenny.

“Course not,” Kenny smiles, takes Adam’s hand. Adam tries not to let himself be overwhelmed, but. It’s really good, knowing Kenny wants him too. “Why? You having second thoughts?”

“Never,” Adam says, and he’s almost surprised by how much he means it. “I’m up this way.” He points them toward the elevator, hits the button for the 12th floor.

The elevator starts moving, and then— and then Kenny’s pulling him close, kissing him, and. And Kenny’s hands on his hips are so warm, and Kenny’s mouth is so inviting, and Kenny isn’t taking control the way Mox did, he’s just nudging, like he’s asking what Adam wants without words. Adam can take a hint, tilts Kenny’s face, licks into his mouth slow and gentle and just holds him there. Kissing is one of Adam’s favorite things. He could do it for hours, and here, now, with Kenny, pushing for more feels almost sacrilegious. Kenny’s pliant and lovely and giving, seems as content as Adam to just do this for a while, and Adam’s so entranced by him that he almost doesn’t notice when the elevator stops.

Kenny does, though, and he must be eager because he takes Adam’s hand and leads him out of the elevator. Adam laughs, follows him, utterly endeared. His room is close to the elevator, so it’s a short walk, and before long Adam’s letting them both into his room, Kenny almost tripping over him in his haste to get inside.

Adam drops their bags in the corner of the room, laughing. “Slow down, before you hurt yourself.”

“I’m fine.” Kenny rolls his eyes, sits on the bed. “Been waiting for this for two weeks, of course I’m hurrying.”

Adam looks up. “Two weeks?” He walks over to the bed, sits next to Kenny. “Mox not enough for you?”

“No,” Kenny says, matter-of-fact. “I want you too.”

Adam wants to say, _you have me_ , but he stops himself. “What do you want from me?” he asks instead, careful. The packet said it’s important to not suggest anything to Kenny at this point, just let him think through what he wants for a minute.

“Pin me down,” Kenny says immediately, and Adam’s shocked by how confident he sounds. Last time he’d heard Kenny ask for something, it was barely a whisper, caught between himself and Mox. Now it just seems like Kenny’s impatient. “Fuck me. I mean, obviously. Tell me what to do. Make me beg. Like.” And now he blushes, which is weird, given what he’s said so far without flushing. “I want to— to earn what you give me.”

Adam swallows, unsure when just listening to Kenny talk became this hot. “Sure,” he says, quiet, tries not to let his voice betray how hard he is already. It’s just. Anyone would have this reaction to Kenny, saying those things, directly to them. Adam’s so glad Kenny chose him.

Kenny’s starting to fidget, like he’s not sure what to do if Adam doesn’t tell him what to do right away. Adam’s first instinct is to acquiesce, lay Kenny back and give him everything he asked for, but. The packet said to draw it out, make him wait just a bit longer than he thinks he’s going to. So instead of kissing him again, Adam stands up, takes his shoes off, slow and measured. Kenny doesn’t move to follow him, but Adam can feel his eyes on him, waiting but not exactly patient.

“You were so good for Mox last week,” he says, a smile playing on his lips, remembering how Mox talked to him. “So pretty and obedient.”

Kenny beams, wide and unabashedly happy. It’s. Kind of adorable. “Thank you.” He ducks his head, but Adam can see the blush rising on his cheeks.

“Are you gonna be good for me?” Adam’s voice is steady, but he doesn’t know how. He’s never said something like that before, wouldn’t have thought to before last week, but Kenny’s still staring at him like Adam’s the only thing he can see, and. He can’t pretend that the _need_ in Kenny’s gaze isn’t hot.

Kenny’s hands are on the edge of the bed, white-knuckled, and he nods. “Course,” he mumbles, shifting a little. Adam’s undoing his shirt, button by button, and Kenny’s watching him, hungry, and in the locker room Kenny would’ve told him to hurry up by now but instead he’s waiting for Adam to give him something to do. To call the match.

Adam shrugs his shirt off, sits on the bed, takes Kenny’s hands. “Relax,” he says gently, then kisses him again. Adam snakes a hand under Kenny’s shirt, brushes his thumb over his hip, drinks in Kenny’s little gasp. He’s so open, so responsive. Adam takes it as encouragement and bites Kenny’s lip, just hard enough that he knows Kenny feels it, draws his hand up Kenny’s side high enough that he can pinch his nipple. Kenny’s soft whine goes straight to Adam’s cock, plaintive and needy.

“Let’s get this off,” Adam murmurs, tugging at the hem of Kenny’s shirt, and Kenny’s hands are shaking in his haste to comply. Once his shirt’s off, Kenny rests his hands on his sweats, looks up at Adam. He’s so _good_ , Adam thinks, waiting for instructions all pretty and patient.

“Yeah, babe,” Adam says, impatient himself. “All of it, get naked.” And Kenny does, immediately, just discards his shoes, socks, sweats, boxers like they’re nothing. Adam always likes this part, the sheer intimacy of watching someone undress, knowing their intent, but it’s more intense now, knowing Kenny’s doing it to be good, to obey. He’s breathtaking, honestly, that same singular intent on his face, his chest broad and muscular, turning more and more pink by the minute. And he’s hard, of course, which obviously doesn’t surprise Adam but he is relieved at the confirmation that he’s not the only one getting off on this.

“Good,” he murmurs, almost to himself, but Kenny smiles wide. “You wanna lay down for me?”

“Which way?” Kenny asks, quiet and subdued. It’s not foreign, exactly—Kenny had been like this with Mox, too—but it’s still so unlike how Kenny normally is that it’s still a little strange, in the best way.

“On your back.” 

Kenny lies down with no hint of awkwardness, reaches a hand out for Adam. “Want you,” he says, with none of the intensity written all over his face. Adam takes his hand, squeezes, then strips off his own jeans. He kneels over Kenny, legs bracketing Kenny’s hips, and. It’s nothing Adam hasn’t done before, in the ring—even the way Kenny’s looking at him isn’t that different from the way he has this singular focus on his opponent, on working together, in the ring—but it’s so much more intense, now, and Adam can’t help but roll his hips, feel how hard Kenny is too. Kenny whines, a tiny, broken sound, and Adam _loves_ that, so he grinds down again, more deliberately this time. 

“Please,” Kenny whimpers, rests a hand on Adam’s side like he’s trying to pull him closer. He’s so still under him, asking instead of pushing his hips up or pulling Adam down, even though Adam knows he could.

“Such a good boy,” Adam breathes, rests a gentle hand on Kenny’s chest. Kenny nods, looks almost desperate, rolls a shoulder like he’s going to push Adam away or flip them over but Adam presses down, just a tiny bit, and Kenny goes completely still again. It’s beautiful, how willing he is.

“Please,” Kenny repeats, and Adam doesn’t know if he’s praying or begging. Adam leans down and kisses him, hard and unrelenting, and Kenny’s whole body just _arches_ toward him, eager and desperate. Adam pulls back and pushes Kenny back down, just gently nudging, and Kenny looks like he’s had the air knocked out of him. He’s staring at Adam like he’s the whole world, and Adam stays distant for a moment before he takes hold of Kenny’s wrists, brings them above his head and holds them there.

“Okay?” Adam says quietly, but the way Kenny ruts against him when he presses his wrists into the mattress tells him that he doesn’t really need an answer. Kenny nods anyway and flexes his wrist, like he’s testing if Adam will let go. When he doesn’t, Kenny breathes out, slow and shaky, and stills again, as if he thinks moving at all will make Adam pull back again. Adam doesn’t want him to be worried about that, so he kisses down Kenny’s throat, light at first until he sees a mark from Mox, a little faded. 

“Makeup had fun with you too,” he murmurs, laughing against Kenny’s skin, and Kenny makes a little noise of affirmation that gets cut off as Adam sinks his teeth over the bruise, deepens it again. Kenny looks so pretty marked up, he thinks, it would be a shame to let it fade.

“Hangman, _please_ , I need…” Kenny’s voice is broken, desperate, and the thrill of hearing his name whispered with such reverence is never going to get old. Adam pulls back a little, rolls his hips again.

“What do you need?” he asks, like he doesn’t know, because the packet said Kenny gets off on being made to say exactly what he wants.

“Fuck me, god, please,” Kenny breathes, and. Adam’s brain short-circuits for a minute, because Kenny is staring at him and begging and it’s the hottest goddamn thing he’s ever seen. 

“Yeah, okay,” Adam mumbles, straightens, lets Kenny’s wrists go and guides his hands, carefully, to the slats in the headboard. “Hold them here. Don’t let go. Okay?”

Kenny nods, repeats, “Don’t let go,” and when Adam doesn’t move for another moment, adds, “ _please_ , I can, I won’t let go.”

“Good boy.” Adam doesn’t doubt that. He saw how perfect Kenny was for Mox, and how perfect he’s been for him, but the absolute unquestioning obedience is such a heady rush. “Gonna grab stuff, okay?”

Kenny makes a noise of confirmation and Adam gets off him, goes over to his bag in the corner of the room. He glances back at the bed as he unzips the side pocket, and Kenny hasn’t moved but he’s staring at Adam like it’ll make him come back faster. It kind of works, honestly, makes Adam move more quickly to fumble a condom and lube from the pocket and come back to the bed, nudge Kenny’s legs apart so he can sit between them.

“Please,” Kenny breathes, again, and Adam can’t say no to that, so he coats his fingers carefully, watching Kenny’s chest heave. He presses a finger into him, slow and careful, and it’s like Kenny instantly settles, like he’s suddenly comfortable, and. Adam wants to make Kenny react like this every day, maybe. He rests his free hand on Kenny’s hip, pushes it down as he crooks his finger, and Kenny lets out a broken, lovely groan.

“Jesus,” Adam murmurs, and does the same thing again. Kenny almost sobs this time, like he’s overcome with the _feeling_ , and Adam’s worried for a moment until Kenny opens his eyes, looks at him again, and he’s as hungry as ever, so Adam adds another finger, spreads them slowly. Kenny’s hips buck, searching for contact, but Kenny told Adam that he wanted to earn it, so Adam doesn’t touch him yet.

“Good?” Adam asks, twisting his fingers, drawing another low whimper from Kenny.

“Perfect,” Kenny whispers, rolling his hips to meet Adam’s fingers, and god, if it isn’t one of the hottest things Adam’s ever experienced. “Perfect, so good, more, please.”

And Kenny’s not even asking Adam to _touch_ him, just to fuck him open with his fingers. At this point, Adam doesn’t think he can say no to anything Kenny wants, so he presses a third finger into him, twists them slowly. 

“Perfect,” Adam echoes. It’s perfect, seeing Kenny all stretched out like this, for him, and he can’t resist bending down to lick the precome off the tip of Kenny’s cock. Kenny gasps, loud and sharp in the quiet of the room, his thumbs suddenly digging into the wood of the headboard. Adam wants to find out every noise Kenny makes, keep him here forever, but. Right now he needs to be inside Kenny. He pulls his fingers out and _that’s_ what makes Kenny finally break, let out a broken, desperate sob.

Adam opens the condom packet with his teeth, petting Kenny’s thigh gently. “Just a second,” he says, soothing, as he rolls the condom on. “Gonna fuck you, Kenny, don’t worry.”

Kenny nods, and he’s panting, and there are tears in his eyes, and Adam would be worried if it weren’t so obvious that he loves this, that he’s dying for it. Adam pushes in slowly, a hand on Kenny’s hip to steady him, and it’s— it’s everything, the sudden, all-encompassing heat of Kenny’s body and Kenny’s eyes on him and Kenny’s skin under his hands, it’s so _much_ and Adam wants more, wants everything. 

“Fuck,” he breathes, low and incredulous, and the sound Kenny makes is like he’s trying to harmonize. Adam reaches up, takes one of Kenny’s hands off the headboard, laces their fingers. He can’t not be touching Kenny right now, as he bottoms out and he and Kenny are just breathing together, hand in hand. He kisses Kenny, tries to channel the intensity of everything he’s feeling into it, how perfect Kenny is, how beautiful, how badly he wants him. They’re both breathless when he pulls back.

“I’m good,” Kenny whispers, lips barely an inch from Adam’s as Adam rests his forehead on Kenny’s. “I’m good, you can, please.”

Adam squeezes his hand and waits another moment before he starts moving, slow, careful thrusts that push as deep as he can. Every time he pushes in Kenny makes these perfect, tiny little sounds, like Adam’s fucking them out of him, and he can’t get enough, wants to hear everything.

“Perfect,” Adam murmurs again, pulls Kenny’s other hand off the headboard and holds both his wrists in one hand again, pins him down. Kenny tests his grip again, whimpers when Adam doesn’t let go, and Adam doesn’t want to ever leave this moment, where Kenny wants so much and Adam can give him all of it. He kisses him again, sucks a mark into his chest, licks over the angry red of Kenny’s skin and Kenny sounds like he can’t make words anymore, just whines every time Adam’s lips touch his skin or Adam tightens his grip or Adam pushes into him.

He sounds like he’s close, blissed out, so Adam wraps a hand around Kenny’s cock and Kenny just _groans_ , low and gorgeous. Adam brushes his thumb over the head, stroking him in time with his thrusts, and Kenny’s so tight around him and it’s all so much and Adam almost can’t stand it anymore, can’t keep his rhythm, hips stuttering as he comes. A second later, Kenny whispers, “Close,” so quietly Adam almost doesn’t hear him.

Adam nods, keeps stroking. After a moment too long, he realises Kenny’s asking permission, and. And of course he can come, “Of course you can, my perfect boy, come for me,” Adam says, mouth on Kenny’s skin and, just like that, Kenny spills over Adam’s hand.

They’re both panting, sweaty skin sticking a little, and it takes a minute for Adam’s brain to come back online. Carefully, he lets go of Kenny’s wrists, places a gentle kiss on each one and smiles when it makes Kenny blush. He pulls out, ties the condom off, tosses it in the trash, and then he can turn his attention back to Kenny, who looks as tired as Adam feels. 

Adam lays down next to Kenny and opens his arms. The packet was very clear about this part, and anyway, Adam’s never been one to turn down a cuddle. Kenny shuffles close to him and Adam hugs him tight, kisses his hair.

“You did so good,” he says softly, teasing out a tangle at the back of Kenny’s head. “Perfect boy.”

“Did good,” Kenny echoes, quiet and pleased. Adam can’t help the answering smile on his lips.

“Course you did.” Adam squeezes him gently, then pulls back a little. “You wanna drink some water for me?”

Kenny shrugs, but he holds a hand out for the bottle when Adam gives it to him. He takes a few sips, then hands the bottle back to Adam, apparently bored. “Can I go to sleep?” He yawns, as if for effect.

Adam laughs. “Not yet, babe. Gotta clean you up first.”

Kenny sighs, but he doesn’t protest. Adam kisses his forehead before he gets up. In the bathroom, he washes his hands and wets a flannel. When he comes back into the room, Kenny’s eyes are closed. 

“C’mon, sleepy, just a little longer,” Adam says, sitting on the bed. He holds up the flannel. “Gonna let me?”

Kenny nods and closes his eyes again, but he lies a little straighter on his back so that Adam can clean him up more easily. Adam cleans him off carefully, then himself, then climbs back into the bed. 

“Alright,” he says, opening his arms again. “Now you can sleep, if you like.”

Kenny curls up in his arms, again, and it seems like he’s out in a matter of minutes. Adam doesn’t want to let go of him, doesn’t really want to sleep just yet, so instead he just watches Kenny and pets his hair. He’s sweet, this soft part of Kenny that he normally keeps tucked away, and Adam wants to see as much of it as he can. 

Once he’s confident Kenny won’t mind if he moves, Adam gets out his phone to text Matt back.

00:47 / Hangman  
we figured it out. don’t worry

*

When Adam wakes up, Kenny’s not in his bed. He rubs his eyes, confused for a moment, until he notices a text.

8:34 / Kenny  
last night was fun! we should do it again sometime. see you in the gym

It’s so casual. Adam had known it was, given Mox and Kota and everything, but. It would be nice, maybe, to hold Kenny all the time, not just after sex. He shakes his head, banishes the thought. It’s a silly thing to want, he knows. Kenny’s perfectly happy with his arrangement. That isn’t Adam’s business.

10:17 / Hangman  
anytime you want ❤️

*

It's not until a week later that Adam has his next earth-shaking revelation.

23:11 / Hangman  
god fuck  
23:11 / Hangman  
I think I might be in love with Kenny

23:41 / Nick  
man i can't stress enough how bad an idea that is

**Author's Note:**

> in case you were wondering, this is in fact the second instalment of the skeu (sub kenny extended universe)


End file.
